To Be Your Servant
by KnightOwl17
Summary: *Sequel to In Darkness* This time, when visiting nobility arrives in Camelot, Arthur decides to send Merlin on a trip to visit his mother in Ealdor. But Merlin is convinced that Arthur is in danger. So, without the King's knowledge, Merlin stays in Camelot to investigate the new visitors. Because if they plan to hurt Arthur, he needs to be there to protect him.
1. Prologue

**A/N: So after only a few days of not writing, I can stand it no longer. There are two stories that are currently competing for dominance in my head, and so the only solution I can think of is to just start posting both. This one is a sequel to my previous story, In Darkness, and it is highly, highly recommended that you read that story first in order for this one to make sense! Now the other story that I'll start posting within the next couple days will be a completely separate story that will not require any previous reading.**

**But anyway, this first chapter is just a short Prologue to our new story. Enjoy!**

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And now, once again, Merlin found himself wondering how on earth he managed to get himself into these situations. How was it that he always seemed to stumble across so much trouble? It wasn't as though he went _looking _for it.

Okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. Because for these past two weeks, he had been playing a _very _dangerous game. A game that Merlin was pretty sure he was about to lose.

At least, dangling by his fingernails over the side of a cliff was not exactly filling him with hope at the moment. He could hear the raging river sweeping along below him. So far, far below him. His heart was racing. He knew that a fall from this height would almost surely kill him. It would be nearly impossible to avoid landing on one of those large, jagged rocks.

And standing above him, leering down at him with a look of triumph and pure hatred, was the enemy. The man who was about to kick his hands away from the edge of the cliff where he was holding on for dear life, and send him to his death.

So maybe he _had _been looking for trouble. But it wasn't as though he really had much choice. It was all part of the job. To protect Arthur. To keep him safe. Although, Merlin thought bitterly, he had failed in that duty. The King was in terrible danger right now and here he was, moments away from death.

_"I'm happy to be your servant, 'til the day I die."_ The words that he had spoken to Arthur all those years ago echoed in his mind now. When he had said them, he had been so sure that the day he would die had already arrived.

Perhaps now it really had.

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**A/N: Sorry for such a terrible cliffhanger (no pun intended...well, actually...). Anyway, it'll be a little while before we get back to this scene, as we are going to go back in time a little bit to see what led up to Merlin's current predicament. I hope you will enjoy this new story! Until next time! :)**


	2. Rise and Shine

**A/N: So here it is. Chapter 1! I really hope you enjoy it. I would also like to just note that I will probably not be able to update this story as fast as I did for In Darkness, although I will do my best to get out at least one update a week. **

**And also, I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the Prologue. My e-mail was absolutely flooded with messages from Fanfiction. Thank you so much for all of the support! I'm so glad that so many of you are interested in a sequel. I'm looking forward to writing it! It should be a lot of fun! :)**

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_"_I'm happy to be your servant, 'til the day I die_." The words that he had spoken to Arthur all those years ago echoed in his mind now. When he had said them, he had been so sure that the day he would die had already arrived. _

_ Perhaps now it really had._

* * *

_*Two weeks earlier*_

"Rise and shine, Sire!" Merlin said with as much energy as he could muster while trying to suppress a yawn. He hadn't slept very well at all the previous night. Some old nightmares, terrible dreams that had haunted him months ago, had returned to him last night. As a result, he had gotten very little sleep and had risen far earlier than he normally would to go rouse the King from his slumber.

"Wha' are you doin' 'ere?" Arthur groaned, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow he was speaking into.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Just doing my job, Sire."

"But it's too early," Arthur said, raising his head off the pillow.

"Actually, I'm right on time today."

"Exactly, _Mer_lin. You're too early."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd be pleased, _Sire._ You're always complaining about my tardiness."

"Yes, but of _all_ of the days that you could have picked to decide to show up on time, it just _had _to be today now, didn't it?" Arthur was now sitting up in bed and watching Merlin as the manservant moved around the room, picking laundry up off the floor.

"There is just no pleasing you, is there?" Merlin asked exasperatedly, as he dumped an armful of clothes into the laundry basket. "Now hurry up or your breakfast will get cold."

"Breakfast? But I'm having breakfast with our guests this morning."

"I know that. But you're _really _cranky in the morning when you haven't had anything to eat. So I just brought you something small."

Arthur grabbed one of his pillows and launched it at Merlin's head. Merlin dodged it easily enough and smirked at the King.

"See?" he said. "I told you."

Arthur grumbled to himself as he pushed the covers back and stood up, stretching his arms out before walking over to the table where Merlin had left his tray of food.

"Something small, huh?" he asked, gazing down at the large pile of food. "You call this a small meal?"

"Well, the more you eat, the less cranky you are," Merlin reasoned.

"What happened to trying to keep me in shape?" Arthur inquired.

Merlin shrugged. "I think I was fighting a losing battle with that one, Sire."

Merlin almost wasn't able to dodge out of the way when a goblet soared through the air in his direction.

"That wasn't funny, _Mer_lin."

"Of course not, _Sire_."

Arthur picked up an apple then and took a large bite of it as Merlin, who was still smiling to himself, moved over to the wardrobe to pick out the King's clothes for the day. Then, as he began to feel more awake and became more aware of everything around him, Arthur frowned and glanced around the room.

"Where's Guinevere?" he asked.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Sire. I met her on the way here. She just got up early. Not everybody in this castle is as lazy as you-"

"_Excuse _me?" Arthur said, dropping the apple back on the tray. "You are the most incompetent, incapable, _useless _servant in the world, and you're calling _me _lazy?"

Merlin smirked but did not answer. He turned back to the wardrobe.

"What was she doing?" Arthur asked after a few seconds had gone by.

Merlin sighed. "She was looking for Ella."

"There's still been no sign of her?"

Merlin shook his head.

Ella had been Gwen's maidservant for a couple months now, and in that time, the two girls had gotten really close. It reminded Merlin a little bit of the relationship that Gwen had once had with Morgana, all those years ago. But Ella had not been seen since yesterday morning, and Gwen was now really worried.

Arthur sighed. "That's not like her." This was really the last thing they needed to worry about right now. Not with everything else that was going on.

Because yesterday, Lord Walter and Lady Amelia of Berradon had arrived in Camelot. It was the first time in many months that they had had visitors, and Arthur couldn't help but be anxious about the whole thing. For one thing, his father had never been on very good terms with Berradon, and now it would be up to him to build a better relationship with the kingdom through the Lord and Lady, who were here as representatives.

But that wasn't the only reason for his nervousness.

Because the last time they had had visitors, things really hadn't gone too well. He glanced over at Merlin, who was currently laying his clothes out on the bed. The dark circles under the manservant's eyes did not go unnoticed by the King.

"You didn't sleep last night," Arthur stated. It wasn't a question.

Merlin looked over at Arthur. "What makes you say that?"

"You look dead on your feet," Arthur responded.

Merlin shrugged. "I may have been a little – _restless_, I suppose."

Arthur crossed his arms. "How come?"

"I don't know. I just was."

"Is it because of our new guests?" Arthur inquired.

"What? No!"

"Oh, really? Tell me, Merlin. Where exactly did you go off to yesterday when I was greeting them in the courtyard?"

"Gathering herbs for Gaius."

"And later on, at the welcoming feast?"

"I was doing chores for you! Maybe if you didn't give me so many-"

"Merlin," Arthur interrupted. Then he hesitated before speaking again. "Is this about James?"

"No!" Merlin answered quickly; perhaps a little too quickly. He immediately averted his eyes away from Arthur and did his best to suppress the shiver that usually travelled down his spine whenever the Prince of Varelia was mentioned.

"Are you sure?" Arthur pressed. "You went through a lot, Merlin. No one would blame you for feeling uncomfortable with more visitors in Camelot."

"I'm fine. It's not like _he's _here again. There's just been a lot to do lately. That's why I wasn't around yesterday."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and decided to just glare silently at Merlin.

"What?" Merlin demanded, throwing the shirt he was holding down on the bed and crossing his arms.

"You've been acting strangely, even _more _strangely, I should say, ever since I told you that we had visitors coming."

"I don't know what-"

"And now you look like you didn't get any sleep last night. The first night that we have guests in the castle."

"So?" Merlin asked.

Arthur just continued to stare at him pointedly.

Merlin had to wonder how it was that Arthur had not yet discovered his secret. The prat could be extremely observant when he wanted to be. Fine, if he was going to be so _persistent_ on the topic.

"The nightmares came back last night," he finally admitted.

Arthur nodded, completely unsurprised. "Which ones?"

"The one where he shoves me down the stairs. And then the one where I'm just groping around in the dark, and I can't find my way out." Merlin said, his stomach clenching at the memory.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had been afraid that this would happen. "You know, I've been thinking, Merlin."

"Oh, no," Merlin said, trying his best to sound normal. "That can't be good."

Arthur shot Merlin another glare before continuing. "I was _thinking _that it's been a while since you've seen your mother. It's been several months since she was here."

Merlin nodded. It _had _been several months now. And yet, everything that had happened back then was still so fresh in Merlin's mind. Like it had only happened yesterday. James. The sorceress. Losing his eyesight. Not knowing where his mother was. If she was safe. Merlin sighed at the sudden onslaught of memories.

"And?" he finally managed to say, attempting to pull himself away from all those thoughts.

"_And_...I thought it would be nice if you went to visit her," Arthur said.

"You want me to _leave_?" Merlin asked in amazement.

"I just thought you might want to go visit your mother," Arthur said.

"Why? Because we have _visitors_? I told you, Arthur, I'm _fine_."

"So you _don't _want to visit her?"

"Well, of course I want to visit her! But I know why you're making the offer, and the answer is no. I'm staying right here. I'll go see her _after_ our guests leave."

Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. Why did Merlin have to be so stubborn? "Fine. Just...stay away from staircases, would you?"

It was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. "That'll be pretty much impossible. Why? Do you really think Lord Walter or Lady Amelia would push me?"

"No, but you're clumsy."

"But I've always been clumsy."

Arthur shrugged. "I know."

"Then why-?"

"Don't you think it's time that I got dressed, _Mer_lin? If you refuse to take some time off, then I'm not going to tolerate any slacking."

Merlin scoffed. "I'm ready when you are, _Sire._"

* * *

A short time later, Merlin and Arthur were walking through the castle, on their way to go meet the Lord and Lady of Berradon for breakfast. Merlin was lagging slightly behind today, as so many thoughts were swirling through his mind.

He hadn't been entirely truthful about what had happened yesterday. Yes, he had had plenty of chores to do, but the truth was that he really _had _wanted to avoid greeting the new visitors, and sitting, or in his case, _standing_, through the welcoming feast.

But he was not _scared_ of the new visitors, despite what Arthur seemed to think. There was no way that the Lord and Lady could possibly be as bad as James. He was just anxious, and he didn't want to stir up old memories of the last time there had been visitors in Camelot.

His thoughts turned to his mother, then. He really would love to go see her. It would be nice to get out of Camelot for a few days and get some fresh air. But Arthur had only offered to let him go because he thought Merlin wanted to avoid the new visitors. As true as that may be, Merlin was determined not to show any weakness. He was still working to move past all that had happened when the royal family of Varelia had come to stay. But that was likely never going to happen if he ran off every time new guests arrived.

"Merlin!" Arthur said exasperatedly, coming to a stop and looking behind him. "What are you doing? You're even slower than usual, today."

"Coming," Merlin said, quickening his pace. But a moment later, he came to a stop once more.

Arthur crossed his arms as he watched Merlin peering behind the statue in the small alcove he had just passed by. "Find something _interesting_ back there, _Mer_lin?"

Merlin didn't answer. Instead, he moved closer to the statue so that he could get a better look.

"Merlin! We're going to be late."

"Arthur," Merlin said, his tone of voice suddenly very serious as he dropped to his knees.

Arthur suddenly felt nervous as he hurried over to where Merlin was kneeling and looked behind the statue. He visibly paled at the sight he was met with.

It was Gwen's maidservant, Ella. She was lying on the floor, pale white and unmoving, with sightless eyes gazing up at the ceiling. Merlin's hand was shaking as he reached out to check for a pulse, but before the manservant even had the chance to announce his findings, Arthur knew the truth.

The girl was dead.

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**A/N: So what do you think? Any feedback would be appreciated. Until next time! :)**


	3. Apprehension

**A/N: So I finally got this chapter done. Sorry for the wait. I really had hoped to get this out two days ago, but I just wasn't able to make it happen. But anyway, enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Merlin just stared wide-eyed at the motionless body before him. A million thoughts were suddenly racing through his head, but he was unable to grab onto any of them for longer than a second or two.

What had happened to Ella? How long had she been here? How long had she been... _dead_?

Merlin was vaguely aware of Arthur still standing behind him. After only a few seconds of shocked silence, the King began to call for a guard.

And Merlin just continued to stare at the lifeless form of Gwen's maidservant. He hadn't been particularly close to the young girl, but they had shared a few friendly exchanges over the past couple of months. Merlin had liked her. She had been quiet and sweet. But now the spark had gone from her eyes, and Merlin was sure that the image of the ghostly pale figure he saw before him now would haunt him for many days to come.

The guard had arrived at the scene. Merlin listened as Arthur instructed the guard to go get the court physician, and the man immediately left to carry out those orders. The seconds ticked by slowly then as the echoing footfalls faded away and Merlin and Arthur were left alone once again with Ella's body.

Her _body_. Merlin felt an odd tingling sensation creeping slowly down his spine as that sickening thought sunk in. It was as though a chill had suddenly swept down the corridor, and he was unable to suppress a shiver. And then an overwhelming uneasiness began to settle in the pit of his stomach. Merlin's magic seemed to hum with apprehension below the surface of his skin. He could sense something foreboding, as though it lurked just behind the corner. Danger. And suddenly, Merlin was scared.

He jumped nearly a foot in the air when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Merlin," Arthur said from behind him in a solemn voice, tightening his grip. "Come on, stand up."

Merlin just shook his head, refusing to take his gaze off of Ella. Whatever it was that had happened to her...Could he have possibly prevented it? Merlin knew this could not have been an accident. Someone had done this to her. Someone had taken the life of a young girl. But who? And why?

"Merlin, there's nothing you can do for her," Arthur said more firmly. "Now get up. You're shaking."

Looking down at his hands, Merlin soon realized that he was, indeed, trembling all over. He took a deep breath and slowly got to his feet. As soon as he managed to regain his balance, Arthur led him a few feet away, and Merlin leaned heavily against the wall as he continued to breathe deeply in and out.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, his own voice slightly strained.

"I'm fine," Merlin replied, although he was clearly shaken by what he'd seen.

Arthur sighed. It was the kind of sigh that made him sound a lot older than he was. Old and weary. He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "What happened?" he said at last, speaking more to himself than to Merlin.

"I don't know," Merlin replied in a voice that was just barely above a whisper, unable to bring himself to say what he really thought. That there was no way that this had been an accident. That this had to have been murder.

Arthur moved back over to the dead girl then, hoping that Gaius would be there soon. The physician would be able to give them more answers.

Merlin felt sick to his stomach. He doubted that Ella would have had any enemies. She had been far too kind and did her best to stay out of everyone's way. The only person she had ever said more than a few words to had been Gwen. None of it made any sense. Who would want to kill Ella?

After contemplating that question for a minute or so, Merlin could see only one explanation. Ella hadn't been the real target. How could she be? She was just a quiet serving girl who kept to herself. No, it was far more likely that the poor girl had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the real target was likely the very man that Merlin was standing in the corridor with now. Arthur.

Because wasn't it always? Merlin shuddered to think of the number of people who would like to see Arthur dead. How close had the assassin come to succeeding this time around? Merlin wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that question. Now, he just needed to focus on finding them. Before they had the chance to try again. Before it was too late.

"Gaius," Arthur said in relief when the physician finally arrived. Gaius simply nodded in acknowledgement, his expression grim.

Merlin pulled himself away from his thoughts to watch as Gaius knelt down next to the girl then and carefully began to examine the body. But he decided not to move any closer to observe the process as he normally would. He just wasn't feeling up to it. He couldn't help but to stare intently at Arthur now, who was watching Gaius and waiting for answers. The King wasn't safe.

Merlin wasn't sure how much time passed before Gaius slowly got to his feet again after looking over every inch of the body. Arthur helped to steady the man and the physician gave him a sad smile in thanks.

"Well, Gaius? Do you know what happened to her?" Arthur asked. "Was she-? I mean did somebody-?"

"Murder her?" Gaius finished the sentence for him. His voice was so sad, so dejected.

Arthur just nodded in confirmation.

"It does not appear so, Sire," Gaius said.

"What?" Merlin spoke from his place against the wall, completely shocked at this news. He turned to face Gaius more fully. "But she's just lying in an alcove behind a statue! Like somebody hid her there."

Gaius nodded. "It is odd, I'll admit. But at the same time, there is absolutely no indication whatsoever that somebody else harmed her. There are no wounds or bruises. There is no trace of blood anywhere-"

"But what happened then?" Merlin interrupted, still in utter disbelief.

Gaius sighed as he looked between Merlin and Arthur. "I am afraid that Ella suffered from a very rare disease of the heart. I have been treating her the best I can, but unfortunately, there just isn't much that can be done for such an ailment. I fear that her heart must have just given out."

"I didn't know she was ill," Arthur said.

"She didn't want anyone to know," Gaius explained. "Not even Gwen."

Merlin frowned. Thinking back, he did recall seeing Ella in the physician's chambers on a couple different occasions. She had been picking up some medications. Her "sleeping draughts", she had called them. But now it would seem that they had really been for something far more serious. Merlin sighed as he looked back towards the girl.

But it still didn't make any sense. The placement of the body. What reason would Ella have for being back there in the alcove? And then of course, there was that strange sense of foreboding that had completely swept over Merlin. A sense that he had learned long ago should never be ignored. It was as though his magic was trying to warn him. Let him know that something was wrong.

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked the physician.

"I see nothing to indicate otherwise," Gaius answered, glancing back over the body. "We'll need help moving her, Sire." Then as he turned to look more closely at his ward, he frowned deeply. "Are you alright, Merlin?"

Merlin just nodded. "Yes."

"You're unusually pale," the physician noted.

"I'm _okay_," Merlin said firmly.

"Just take the rest of the day off, Merlin," Arthur spoke up then before calling out for more guards.

"I don't _need_ the rest of the day off," Merlin insisted.

Arthur was in no mood to argue. "Fine, then. Go tell Lord Walter and Lady Amelia that I will be unable to eat breakfast with them this morning." He let out another deep sigh. "I'm going to need to go find Guinevere."

Recognizing the dismissal, Merlin immediately set off down the hall to carry out his task. But he suddenly felt far worse than he had only a minute ago. Because when Arthur had mentioned the Lord and Lady of Berradon, the knot in Merlin's stomach only seemed to tighten, and his unease began to grow. Merlin shook himself in an attempt to dispel the feeling, but to no avail. And the sense of danger only seemed to grow the closer and closer Merlin got to the waiting nobles.

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I'll try to update again just as soon as I am able to. Reviews are appreciated! Until next time! :)**


	4. Suspicions

**A/N: So I finally managed to get another chapter done! I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace now after the updating rate I had with In Darkness. It hasn't been too long, though. I hope. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!**

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The guard moved to stand directly in front of the door as Merlin approached. The young warlock couldn't help but think that if he wasn't currently being clawed at from the inside by a sense of dread for what was to come, he might have had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the movement. After all these years, the guards still didn't seem to trust him when he wasn't with Arthur or one of the knights.

"May I help you?" the guard asked, glaring down his nose at Merlin.

"I just have a message to deliver to the Lord and Lady of Berradon," Merlin explained quickly, doing his best to conceal his anxiety from the man's scrutinizing gaze.

The guard continued to eye him suspiciously and it was all Merlin could do to keep his next words steady.

"The King of Camelot has instructed me to deliver a message to the Lord and Lady," he said firmly. "Perhaps you would like to check with him?"

That seemed to do the trick. The guard just grunted in response and moved aside to grant Merlin access to the room where the Lord and Lady waited. Merlin moved forward hesitantly and pushed open the door. Then, after taking a moment to compose his features into an unreadable expression, Merlin walked into the room.

His eyes immediately fell upon the table in the middle of the room where the two nobles sat waiting for the King of Camelot to join them. Currently, there was a maidservant waiting on the two of them, filling their goblets with wine as they sat in silence at the table.

The first thing that Merlin noticed about the Lord and Lady was that they were both wearing blue. An insignificant detail, perhaps. Except that Merlin remembered when he had first met the royal family of Varelia. They had also worn blue.

Merlin quickly shook himself. Now he was just being ridiculous. Just because they were wearing _blue_, it could hardly be considered a bad omen. Besides, it was a completely different shade of the color. Okay, he reprimanded himself, it was really time to focus.

"Yes? What is it?" Lady Amelia spoke first, taking in Merlin's sudden appearance at the end of the table. Lord Walter also turned to stare at him expectantly.

Looking at the two nobles, Merlin couldn't help but to note how plain they both appeared to be. There was really nothing about their features that stood out. They had the same brown hair and eyes. The same pale skin. They looked completely normal. Not the least bit threatening. And that was really what was making Merlin the most nervous.

Because that sense of danger was still there. He still couldn't shake it. And now that he was standing in the same room as these two visiting nobles, that feeling of apprehension seemed to only have grown worse.

Then, realizing that they were waiting for an answer, Merlin cleared his throat and delivered the message.

"King Arthur has sent me to inform you that he will be unable to join you for breakfast this morning," he said.

Both nobles stared a moment at Merlin before replacing their indifferent expressions with ones of annoyance.

"And why not?" Lord Walter asked brusquely.

Merlin watched the reactions of the two nobles carefully as he spoke his next words. "A young girl was found dead in one of the corridors."

Lady Amelia's hand immediately flew to her mouth. "My goodness. What happened?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"She had a rare heart condition," Merlin said slowly, trying to keep the image of Ella's still body out of his mind as he spoke.

Amelia's eyes widened, but it was hard to say what she or her husband were thinking.

"Who was this girl?" Lord Walter asked, his tone somewhat demanding.

"The Queen's maidservant, my lord," Merlin answered quickly.

"Oh no," Lady Amelia breathed, her hand now moving down to rest over her heart.

Merlin wondered if she was being sincere. It was hard to tell for sure.

"Well that's that then, isn't it?" Lord Walter said, standing up abruptly from his chair. Unfortunately, he did not see the young maidservant standing just behind him, and ended up backing the chair right into her. As a result, the young girl was unable to hold onto the pitcher of wine she had been holding in her hands. It fell to the floor at Lord Walter's feet.

"Must you be so clumsy?" Lord Walter said angrily, having only narrowly escaped being drenched in wine down his front. By some miracle, only the very tips of his boots seemed to have been stained with the liquid. Turning, the irate man stormed from the room, plunging the place into an awkward silence after slamming the door behind him.

"I'm so sorry," the maidservant said finally after several seconds went by. Merlin hurried forward to help her clean up the mess with the cloths that seemed to appear out of nowhere from another servant who had been lingering in the corner of the room.

"It's fine, Anna," Lady Amelia said reassuringly as she stood up herself. "He's just in a foul mood today. Just clean that up and head back to our chambers."

As she spoke, the noblewoman moved closer to where Merlin and the servant girl called Anna were kneeling on the floor, mopping up the mess. Merlin tried to gauge whether or not his strange magical sense of danger was heightened by the woman's close proximity, but he was feeling far too anxious to be able to tell for sure. He wondered if the other occupants of the room could hear his heart beating in his chest. He could certainly hear it pounding in his own ears.

The girl just nodded and Lady Amelia turned to walk away.

"Go on," Merlin said to the terrified-looking girl. "I'll clean this up."

"Are you sure?" Anna asked quietly.

Merlin nodded. "Of course. Don't worry about it."

Anna flashed Merlin a small smile of gratitude before getting to her feet. But as she did so, Merlin couldn't help but notice the bruises that ran all along the young girl's arms. Meeting Merlin's gaze, she quickly tugged her sleeves down to cover the markings, evidently having forgotten that they had been rolled up in the first place.

"Thank you," she whispered embarrassedly before hurrying to catch up with the Lady Amelia. They left the room together, leaving Merlin to clean up the puddle of wine on the floor.

"Not a very pleasant man, is he?" a voice said.

Looking up, Merlin saw that the other servant was back. He recognized her as one of the Camelot servants. Rose, he thought her name might be. She knelt down to place a larger cloth over the mess.

"Lord Walter?" Merlin said, only half listening.

"Yes. You should hear the way their servants talk about him in the kitchens. He's apparently very difficult to please."

"Does he beat his servants?" Merlin asked before he could stop himself.

The servant frowned. "I don't know for sure. I wouldn't put it past him though. He's certainly capable of it. Why?"

Merlin just shook his head. "No reason." He then quickly got to his feet, the mess having been completely mopped up. "I have to go," he said then.

The servant nodded. "Alright then. Try to avoid the nobles if you can."

Merlin forced a smile onto his face. "I will." He then turned and made his way from the room.

* * *

Once he was making his way back to the physician's chambers, Merlin realized that his sense of danger had somewhat dulled since he was no longer in the presence of the visiting nobles. It was definitely still there though, lurking beneath the surface. Merlin was feeling even more worried now.

He was also not comforted by the fact that Lord Walter seemed to be a harsh man. He couldn't be sure how the servant girl, Anna, had gotten her bruises, but Merlin had his suspicions. And by the time he finally reached his and Gaius' chambers, only to find that the physician was not there, he had decided that he thoroughly disliked the visiting nobles.

Unfortunately, that was just about all he could say with absolute certainty. He had no proof whatsoever that Lord Walter or Lady Amelia may have had some kind of involvement in Ella's death, although there was no denying it now that he suspected as much, even though Gaius clearly thought otherwise. And that could only be bad news for Arthur. For surely, he had to have been the real target. Because killing a servant girl seemed so pointless. Unless she had gotten in the way somehow.

The image of Ella's lifeless body came to the forefront of Merlin's mind once again. It was currently serving as a painful reminder to him of just how close he himself had come to meeting a similar fate just a few months ago. He sighed as he sat down heavily at the table and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Sometime later, Merlin found himself being roused awake by an extremely tired and weary physician. He raised his head off of the table where he had apparently fallen asleep, and glanced around.

"What time is it?" Merlin asked sleepily.

"Early afternoon," Gaius replied, as he moved about the chambers, gathering various herbs and bottles before walking over to his workbench.

"What are you doing?" Merlin inquired, as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"Preparing some sleeping draughts for Ella's mother," Gaius answered. "That's where I've been these past few hours. Doing my best to comfort her family."

Merlin sighed and suddenly became very interested in a long crack in the wall on the other side of the room. He stared at it intently as he spoke his next words.

"Do you really think Ella died of a heart condition?" he said at last.

Gaius immediately put down his work to stare at Merlin. "Everything that I observed would lead me to that conclusion. Yes."

Merlin nodded slowly but did not take his eyes off of the crack in the wall. "There is absolutely no chance, then, that somebody did this to her?"

Gaius frowned at the tone in Merlin's voice. "What is this about Merlin?" he asked seriously.

Merlin finally turned to look at his mentor. "Is it possible, Gaius?"

"As I said before, Merlin, there were no marks, no blood-"

"What about poison?" Merlin interrupted. "Poison wouldn't leave a mark. Yet you never even considered it as a possibility."

"It is highly unlikely," Gaius answered.

"But not impossible?"

"Merlin, I spoke to Ella's parents. The girl had no enemies. The likelihood that anyone would _poison_ her-"

"What if it was meant for somebody else? And she ended up consuming it instead-"

"Merlin. Ella was in a very fragile condition at the time of her death, and had been for quite some time. My potions and remedies were not able to offer very much in the form of treatment for her. It has been my fear for several months now that her heart would eventually give out on her. And it is for that reason that I feel confident enough to dismiss the possibility of poisoning. Now tell me, why do you seem to think that someone else may have been involved?"

Merlin took a deep breath as he turned his gaze onto the floor. "When I was near her, I could just sense it, Gaius. There's just something not right about any of this."

"You're having a funny feeling?" Gaius asked.

Merlin nodded. "But it's more than that, though. I've never felt anything quite like it before. It's so strong. It's like my magic is trying to warn me of danger. And it seemed to get stronger when I was near the visiting nobles."

At the last sentence, Gaius' eyebrows went up. "You think that the Lord and Lady of Berradon are responsible for Ella's death?" he asked incredulously.

Merlin bit his lip before answering. "I think it's...possible, Gaius. And I think they mean to hurt Arthur."

Gaius just stared at Merlin, stunned.

"I don't know what to do, Gaius. I'm worried-"

"So am I," Gaius interrupted, walking over to sit down next to Merlin on the bench. "About you. Merlin, ever since the incident with James, you haven't quite been yourself. And now with these new visitors-"

"This isn't about James," Merlin said firmly.

They sat in silence for a minute before Gaius spoke again.

"I saw the look in your eyes after I examined Ella's body. You looked _haunted_, Merlin."

Merlin was unable to suppress a shiver at those words.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gaius pressed.

Merlin looked up to meet Gaius' gaze. "That could have been me," he said at last.

The physician frowned. "Yes, it could have been."

Merlin sighed. He hadn't really been planning to discuss this now, but suddenly the words seemed to just be tumbling out of his mouth. "I have faced more magical creatures and sorcerers than I care to count," he began. "I have gone on impossible quests and have risked my life time and time again to protect Arthur's. And yet nobody has ever made me feel as scared and _weak_ as _he _did." Merlin shook his head before continuing.

"I still have nightmares about what happened a few months ago. But, you know, none of those dreams are about the sorceress. About nearly dying in those flames in the stables," he let out a humorless laugh.

"You would think that as a sorcerer, that would be my worst nightmare. Fire. Burning alive. But no. I see his eyes, Gaius. I see them as he beats me in the armory. And right before he pushes me down the stairs. And then even when I'm blind, the image is still seared into my mind."

Merlin took a moment to breathe before going on.

"No one else has ever affected me like this before. And I think it's because of who he was. He wasn't a sorcerer. He didn't have magic. He had no special abilities or talents. And yet he nearly succeeded in taking _everything_ from me. And I was completely helpless. Completely _powerless._ He made me realize just how vulnerable I really am."

Gaius continued to stare at his ward as Merlin finished speaking. He had been trying to get Merlin to open up about what had happened to him for months now, and had never had any success. His speech had therefore been unexpected, and Gaius was still absorbing all that Merlin had just said.

Finally, Gaius wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulders. "It'll get better, Merlin. You will not always be haunted by James."

Merlin shook his head. "I could never forget what he did to me."

"No," Gaius agreed. "But eventually, you will stop dwelling on it. He will no longer plague your dreams."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Merlin asked.

Gaius smiled. "I just am."

"You think I'm being paranoid," Merlin stated then. "About Lord Walter and Lady Amelia."

"I do," Gaius answered.

Merlin sighed and stood up, thinking hard about everything as he paced slowly back and forth across the floor. Gaius did not attempt to interrupt his thoughts. A full minute went by before he finally stopped and shook his head.

"I _know _something's going on, Gaius. I can feel it."

The physician sighed. "I think you need to take some time to calm down, Merlin. Perhaps Arthur will give you the evening off and-"

"No. I can't," Merlin said, moving towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Gaius demanded. "Merlin, I really don't think you should be-"

"I'm _fine_, Gaius. I'm going to go see if Arthur needs anything," Merlin said.

Gaius sighed. "Just don't do anything stupid, Merlin," he pleaded. "Keep your suspicions to yourself for now."

Seeing the worried look on Gaius' face, Merlin knew he had no other choice but to nod. "Of course, Gaius."

The physician visibly relaxed at this response. "Good."

Merlin gave his mentor what he hoped would be a reassuring smile then, before turning away and leaving the chambers.

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**A/N: Thanks for all the continued support! Reviews are appreciated and always fun to read! Until next time! :)**


	5. Doubts

**A**/**N: Thank you so much for all of the follows/favorites/reviews. They make me really happy! :) I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

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Merlin was distracted as he made his way through the castle towards Arthur's chambers. He really wasn't paying much attention to where he was going. His legs moved automatically, taking him in the right direction, his subconscious acting as a guide.

He thought about the talk he had had with Gaius. The physician thought that he was being unreasonably suspicious of the visiting nobles. That he was suffering from paranoia as a result of the incident with James. And now as he thought it over, Merlin was feeling unsure of himself. Maybe he _was _just being paranoid.

Because there was no question that he had been affected by the events of a few months ago. The nightmares were evidence enough of that. But everything had been getting better. Merlin had finally begun to settle down. He had stopped feeling so nervous every time he was near a staircase. He had gotten more comfortable with the darkness of his room at night.

And then _they _had to show up. And suddenly, Ella was dead. And now Merlin was having a "funny feeling" like he had never had before.

_"Probably just a product of your paranoia,"_ Merlin thought to himself.

Merlin rounded the next corner, and abruptly came to a stop. He suddenly became more aware of his surroundings as he realized which corridor he had just entered. The same one he had walked down this morning. Where he had discovered Ella's body. He was currently the only one there, and the place seemed eerily, unnaturally quiet. Merlin stood still for a moment, not wanting to disturb the silence.

But then he shook himself and began to move down the corridor. He was really beginning to believe that Gaius was right. Maybe his suspicions were completely unfounded. Ella had, after all, had a heart condition. Her death had not been at all shocking to the physician. The girl had simply been unwell. Maybe he just needed to accept that and move on.

But as Merlin moved closer and closer to the part of the hallway where he had made that horrible discovery, he found that he could not keep his eyes off of the spot where, hours ago, Ella's body had been lying on the floor. She had long since been moved, of course. But now the reality of the situation seemed to settle over Merlin. She was truly gone. And no matter how hard he tried to dispel them, because he _knew _how ridiculous he was being, his suspicions continued to nag at him.

Merlin stopped in front of the statue that Ella had been laying behind. He realized that he had never really given the statue a very good look before. But he looked carefully at it now, taking in all of the details. It was a statue of a man; and judging by the attire he wore, Merlin guessed that he must be a very important noble of some kind, although that was just about all he could tell for certain.

Looking closer at the man's face, Merlin found his expression to be almost impossible to read. He was neither smiling nor frowning. His lips were a perfectly straight line. Merlin wondered what this man had done to earn himself the honor of being carved out of stone. Then Merlin's gaze wandered up to the statue's eyes.

But he immediately turned away, squeezing his own eyes shut. Because when he had looked into the stone eyes of the statue before him, he could have sworn that they resembled the cold, cruel ones of James, the Prince of Varelia.

"Merlin?" a voice said from down the hall. "What are you doing?"

Merlin groaned internally when he recognized the voice to be Arthur's. He could hear the King approaching him and so quickly opened his eyes.

Arthur came to a stop in front of his manservant and crossed his arms. "Well?" he said at last.

Merlin noted how tired Arthur looked. The morning would not have been easy for him. He had likely spent much of it comforting Gwen, who Merlin knew would be completely devastated by the news of Ella.

"Nothing," Merlin said quickly. "I was just..."

"Just what?"

"On my way to your chambers," Merlin answered at last. "To see if you needed anything."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, glancing from Merlin to the small alcove with the statue. Then finally he just nodded. "Come on, then." He turned to lead the way.

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He still couldn't get the image of James' eyes out of his mind.

Of course it was completely ridiculous. There was no way that that statue would _actually _have the Prince of Varelia's eyes. So after a moment, Merlin turned back towards the statue to get another look. And this time, thankfully, Merlin did not see James' eyes. Just two normal ones carved from stone. Merlin sighed deeply as he hurried to catch up with Arthur, but his feeling of relief did not last. Because he was now thoroughly convinced that he was losing his mind.

They walked in complete silence to the royal chambers. Merlin spent most of the walk trying to reassure himself that he was not crazy. Gaius had said that things would get better eventually. But, apparently, for now, he was just going to have to put up with the odd hallucination here and there. Which did _not _make him insane. At least he hoped. He should probably talk to Gaius about it at the very least.

"Merlin."

Merlin looked up only to realize that he was several feet behind Arthur, who was already standing at the door to his chambers. He quickly closed the gap between them and then Arthur opened the door and led the way inside.

The King immediately walked over to the table and sat down heavily in his usual chair. Merlin watched him for a moment before remembering that Arthur had not yet eaten lunch.

"You must be hungry," Merlin said, turning to head for the door. "I'll just-"

"No, Merlin," Arthur answered. "I'm really not. Just forget it for today."

Merlin stopped and turned back around. "Right," he said.

Again there was silence.

"How is Gwen doing?" Merlin finally asked. "Where is she?"

Arthur sighed. "She's with Ella's family, comforting them. She's been... very strong today."

Merlin nodded and began to move about the room, tidying the place up. After only about a minute, however, he noticed that the King seemed to be watching him carefully. He wore an expression that most people would describe as indifferent. But Merlin knew Arthur well enough to be able to detect the concern hidden underneath. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"Was there anything in particular that you needed, Sire?" Merlin asked then, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. He wished Arthur would just say whatever was on his mind already.

The King frowned as he looked around the chambers. "Not really," he finally answered.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Then, may I be excused, Sire?"

"No, Merlin. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Merlin just stared at him, suddenly nervous. "Oh? What about?"

Arthur didn't answer right away. He seemed to be considering Merlin carefully. But at last he spoke.

"About today, Merlin. I was just wondering if you were..doing alright?" the discomfort was clear in his voice.

Merlin blinked. "Since when do you care about my wellbeing?" he asked, skeptical.

"Just answer the question, Merlin. Are you okay or not?" Arthur said, his voice tinged with exasperation.

"I am just fine," Merlin said, clearly annoyed at the topic of conversation. "Is that all, Sire?"

Arthur ignored Merlin's question and continued. "It's just that this morning, after you discovered Ella, I saw you. And you appeared to be..."

"I believe the word that Gaius used was _haunted_," Merlin supplied when the King seemed unable to come up with a suitable word.

Arthur nodded. "And what else did Gaius say?"

Merlin sighed. "Arthur, I appreciate the concern. I really do. But-"

"What concern?" Arthur said quickly. "You're completely useless on a _good_ day, Merlin. I just want to make sure that you're still able to work."

"Well, then, you'll be happy to know that I _can_ still work, _Sire._ But if there is nothing that you require right now, then I'll just be back later with your dinner." Merlin turned to leave.

"What were you doing just now when I found you in that corridor?" Arthur inquired.

"What do you mean?" Merlin stopped in his tracks but did not turn around.

"You were just _standing_ there. In the spot that you found her. And you didn't look okay to me."

Merlin didn't turn around or attempt to say anything, so Arthur continued speaking.

"Well? If you need some time off-"

"No."

Arthur sighed. "Fine. That's all, Merlin. You may go."

Merlin immediately headed for the door.

"Oh, and Merlin?" Arthur said when Merlin had one hand resting on the door handle.

Merlin glanced back over his shoulder and waited.

"You don't have to bring me any dinner tonight. I'll be dining with our guests."

Merlin's insides turned to ice at this news. "What?"

"You heard. Now, George has already agreed to attend me if you just wanted to take the night off-"

"I'll be there," Merlin interrupted, his tone suddenly very serious.

Arthur raised his eyebrows but did not comment. He simply nodded to indicate that Merlin was finally free to go and watched as his manservant quickly left his chambers.

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**A/N: Please let me know what you think! Until next time! :)**


	6. Accusations

**A/N: So, I stayed up far too late last night working on this chapter. It was originally going to be shorter, but once I got started, I couldn't seem to stop, and what was supposed to end up in the next chapter somehow ended up getting included in this one. But my sister assured me that she was perfectly okay with that decision, so I decided to keep it as is. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Merlin tried to calm his nerves as he followed Arthur to their destination. They were running a few minutes late for dinner with the nobles, and so Arthur had taken up a brisk pace as they made their way through the corridors, and Merlin was having trouble keeping up with him.

The reason for their delay was that they had been waiting for Gwen to return to the castle after spending much of the day with Ella's family. However, a messenger had arrived at Arthur's chambers only moments ago, and he had explained that he had been sent by the Queen to inform Arthur that she would be staying with Ella's parents a little longer, and so she would unfortunately miss dinner.

"Hurry _up_, Merlin," Arthur said over his shoulder for the umpteenth time since they had left his chambers. "We're supposed to be making a good first impression."

Merlin couldn't help but feel that it was probably a little too late for that. Lord Walter hadn't seemed too happy this morning when Arthur had cancelled breakfast. But he decided not to voice his thoughts, knowing that Arthur probably wouldn't appreciate it just now. Instead, he merely mumbled, "Yes, Sire," as he put on another burst of speed to catch up with the King.

When they finally reached the dining hall, the guards bowed deeply towards Arthur and then opened the doors. Arthur nodded in acknowledgement to both men before entering the room, Merlin following close behind.

Lord Walter and Lady Amelia had, of course, already arrived, and they immediately stood up from their seats at the table to greet Arthur properly. Merlin looked on warily as Arthur extended an arm to Lord Walter. His magic flowed to the very tips of his fingers, ready to assist him should the need arise.

"I was beginning to wonder if you had also cancelled dinner," the Lord said, meeting Arthur's gaze.

"I apologize for the delay," Arthur replied smoothly before turning to greet the Lady Amelia.

As the nobles continued with the formalities before him, Merlin was momentarily distracted by a servant girl who was pushing a pitcher of wine into his hand. Looking around, Merlin saw that there were several servants in the dining hall now, all moving about hurriedly to set the table now that the King had arrived.

At last, the nobles moved to take their seats at the table and Merlin took up his position off to the side of the table, near Arthur's chair.

As the dinner began, Merlin focused all of his attention on the Lord and Lady of Berradon. That sense of danger was back again, and so he studied both of them intently, trying to work out the expressions they held on their faces.

It was the Lady Amelia who brought up the subject of Ella's death a few minutes into the meal, offering what she called her "deepest condolences for the death of the Queen's maidservant." Lord Walter offered no such words of sympathy for his part, and settled for drinking deeply from his goblet as his wife spoke. Merlin couldn't help but to glare at the man for his lack of concern. Had he been the one to end Ella's life?

Another minute or so passed before Merlin realized that Arthur was sending him questioning glances from his place at the table. Realizing that his expression must be giving away some of the hostility he felt, Merlin immediately tried to smooth his features into something that he hoped would be unreadable. But unfortunately, it was not enough to stop Arthur from looking over at him from time to time whenever he paused to take a drink.

The dinner continued to pass uneventfully as Arthur and Lord Walter began to discuss the relationship between Camelot and Berradon. But Merlin was not interested in the conversation. He tried to look for clues in the way that the Lord and Lady held themselves. He tried to use his magic to detect even the smallest trace of guilt, searching for it in their eyes, watching for it in their movements.

His train of thought was soon interrupted, however, when Arthur cleared his throat rather loudly, Merlin thought, and raised his goblet up, indicating that he would like it to be refilled.

And so Merlin moved forward then to refill Arthur's goblet. But as he poured the liquid, his stomach suddenly clenched with a fear he could not explain. He quickly looked over at the guests. Lady Amelia was currently getting her own goblet filled by Anna, the maidservant he had briefly met this morning, and so was looking the other way. But Lord Walter was watching Arthur carefully, and after a second or two had passed, he met Merlin's gaze for the briefest of moments.

And suddenly, Merlin was scared. The heightened sense of danger seemed almost palpable in the room now. He had to wonder how it was that no one else seemed to feel it. Looking down, he saw that Arthur's goblet was now full, and as soon as he stopped pouring, Arthur started to raise it to his lips.

But then something flashed across Merlin's mind. It was a very familiar image, one that Merlin would have been happy to never have seen again. The same image he had seen earlier. Those _eyes._

Without hesitation, Merlin reached out and knocked the goblet from Arthur's hand. It hit the floor a moment later with a dull sound, creating a puddle of wine next to Arthur's chair.

There was complete silence in the room then as everyone stared at Merlin in alarm.

Merlin took a deep breath as he set the pitcher of wine down heavily on the table and looked down at the mess on the floor. Somehow, he had managed to convince himself that the wine must be poisoned; what with the way Lord Walter had been watching Arthur, and then when James' eyes had filled up his vision. But now, everyone's attention was on him. And Arthur looked livid.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur finally managed to ask, trying to keep his voice as calm and steady as possible.

Merlin struggled to find words as he became painfully aware of the nobles' stares. "I...well, Sire...I was just-"

And then from out of nowhere, George appeared next to Merlin, carrying a new goblet in one hand and some cloths in the other.

"Allow me to help you with that, Sire," the man said, sweeping into a bow as he set the new goblet in front of Arthur.

Arthur was still staring at Merlin as he responded. "Thank you, George."

George grabbed the pitcher of wine from the table then and filled the new goblet. Arthur still did not take his eyes off of Merlin.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked at last, his tone almost impossible to read. "Clean it up."

Merlin just nodded, taking the stack of cloths from George as the man retreated back against the wall, before kneeling down to wipe up the mess.

"Seems to be happening a lot, lately," Lady Amelia spoke at last. "The spilling of wine."

Lord Walter scoffed. "It all comes down to incompetent servants, if you ask me."

Arthur still did not speak, and Merlin found that he could not meet the King's gaze. Because he knew what he would find there if he did look. Questions. Questions that Merlin wasn't really sure he wanted to answer.

When at last Merlin had soaked up all the liquid with the cloths, he stood up and made to grab the pitcher again.

"Merlin, why don't you let George take over for the rest of the evening?" Arthur asked then. And Merlin knew better than to argue. It may have been posed as a suggestion, but Merlin recognized that tone of voice. It was an order.

"Yes, Sire," Merlin said quietly. He then turned to go.

But he turned back just as Arthur raised the new goblet to his lips and took a swallow of wine.

Merlin wasn't sure what he was expecting. Part of him was just waiting for Arthur to start choking and clawing at his throat. To gasp desperately for air to fill his lungs. But much to his relief, nothing of the sort happened. Arthur was completely fine. The wine was not poisoned.

Merlin breathed out a long sigh then as he turned once more to leave. He could feel Arthur's eyes on his back though as he walked. And he knew he was in trouble.

* * *

Merlin headed straight for Arthur's chambers. He knew it would do no good to try to avoid the King, and he would much rather get this confrontation over with sooner rather than later.

Of course, the worst part would probably be the waiting. When Merlin finally reached the royal chambers, he found that there wasn't much more he could do than to just pace back and forth across the floor for minutes on end, trying to come up with something that he could say to Arthur. Unfortunately, his mind was blank. He could think of absolutely nothing. He was unable to form even a single coherent thought.

Frustrated, Merlin sat down at the table and placed his face in his hands. The first thing he needed to do was to calm down. Then maybe he could think. He was going to need to explain his actions. Maybe he should just tell Arthur the truth then. But Gaius had told him to keep his suspicions to himself.

Gaius. Merlin quickly jumped to his feet. Maybe the physician would know what to do. He should go talk to him now at the very least. Merlin hurried towards the door.

But unfortunately for him, the door swung open before he could even reach it, and Arthur was suddenly standing before him.

Merlin quickly noted that Arthur did not look happy. At all. And now the King was staring at him expectantly, with arms folded, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"Well?" he said at last when Merlin failed to speak. "Do you care to explain your behavior at dinner tonight?"

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I didn't mean to-"

Arthur held up a hand to stop him. "Just tell me what happened, Merlin."

Merlin sighed. "Uh..."

"Why did you knock that goblet out of my hand?"

Merlin didn't answer.

"Merlin?" Arthur said, clearly getting annoyed.

Merlin sighed again. There was no way out of this now. "I thought it might be poisoned," he answered quietly.

"What?" Arthur said in disbelief. "Poisoned by whom?"

Merlin hesitated.

"Answer me," Arthur ordered.

"The Lord and Lady of Berradon."

Arthur just stared at Merlin for several seconds. "That's completely ridiculous," he finally said. "Why would you think that?"

"Arthur, I think they mean you harm," Merlin replied, suddenly serious.

"That's enough, Merlin."

And then the words were out before Merlin could stop them. "I think they may have played a role in Ella's death."

Arthur was silent for a moment before he responded. "Excuse me?" he said, completely incredulous. "On what grounds do you make this accusation?"

Merlin groaned internally. Because he didn't have an answer. At least not one that Arthur would be willing to accept. "I just have a feeling," he said at last, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"A feeling," Arthur repeated. "You expect me to believe that our guests _murdered_ Ella based on one of your funny _feelings_?"

"I know it's not much evidence-" Merlin began.

"Not much evidence? It's no evidence at all! Did you not _hear _what Gaius said? Ella died of a heart condition, Merlin. Nobody _killed_ her."

"Then why was she _hidden_ behind a statue?" Merlin shot back. "How do you explain that, Arthur?"

"I don't know! Maybe she was trying to avoid somebody. It's not like I've never found _you_ lurking in strange places before."

Merlin stared angrily at the floor. He shouldn't be surprised that Arthur didn't believe him. He really hadn't expected him to. But it was still frustrating.

"I want you to drop this now, Merlin. Is that clear?"

Merlin remained silent.

"And I think you need to take some time off. Go visit your mother in Ealdor for a couple of weeks."

Merlin's head snapped up. "But I can't just leave!"

"You can, and you will. You are clearly in no state to continue working for me right now. Perhaps some time away-"

"I'm _fine_, Arthur!"

"Clearly, you are not."

"But you are in _danger_! I can't go!"

"After all of these years, Merlin, you still don't quite _get_ it, do you? You still don't quite understand what it means to be my servant. It is not your job to _protect _me. It is your job to do what I tell you to do. Now I am not asking you to go. I am _ordering _you. Understood?"

Merlin glared at the King. "Yes, _Sire._" He turned to walk angrily towards the door then. When he reached it, he rested his hand on the door handle and turned back towards Arthur.

"I'm not asking you to listen to me as your servant. I'm asking you to listen to me as your friend."

There was silence in the chambers for another moment or two.

"Merlin," Arthur said tiredly at last, not quite sure what else to say.

Merlin sighed then as he threw the door open and left, the door closing with a snap behind him.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand over his face once he was alone. It was for Merlin's own good, he told himself, that he was sending him away for a little while. He needed the time off. Anyone could see that.

So why then, was he not feeling quite right about it?

* * *

Merlin was fuming as he made his way back to his own room. Wasn't his job already difficult enough? He was almost positive now that Arthur was in some kind of danger.

_"You still don't quite understand what it means to be my servant. It is not your job to _protect_ me. It is your job to do what I tell you to do."_

Merlin just shook his head as those words echoed inside of his mind. Because it was Arthur who really didn't understand.

"You're such a clotpole, Arthur," Merlin whispered furiously to himself. "You have no _idea _what it means to be your servant."

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**A/N: So, what did you think? I was originally going to leave the whole Merlin-Arthur conversation until next chapter, but like I said, I just didn't want to stop writing last night. Any thoughts would be appreciated, as always. Until next time! :)**


	7. Shadows

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I kept getting sidetracked with other things. Anyway, to all my American readers, I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July and got to see some fireworks. The view I had from my driveway was amazing. The whole sky was lit up with fireworks that I'm pretty sure the neighbors didn't have the permit required to actually shoot off from their backyards (But did so anyway) And of course, to everyone else who lives elsewhere in the world, I hope you had a wonderful day as well. :)**

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Merlin continued to grumble absently to himself as he made his way through the corridors back to his own chambers, hardly paying any attention at all to where he was going.

For a moment, for a split-second really, Merlin considered doing exactly as Arthur had ordered him to do.

_"Let the prat fend for himself. Since he seems to think that he knows absolutely everything about _everything."

But the moment soon passed, and Merlin knew that it wasn't going to be a real option. There was no way that he was going to be able to leave Camelot when he was feeling like _this._ Like there was a threat lurking behind every corner in the castle. He needed to figure out what was going on. Whether he was just being paranoid or whether there was really danger. He needed to talk to Gaius.

Merlin was hurrying now. He wanted to talk to the physician about all that had happened today. How he could _feel _the danger in the air at dinner with the Lord and Lady of Berradon. How he had been so sure that the wine had been poisoned.

"_Only it _wasn't _poisoned,"_ he reminded himself. _"Gaius is going to think I'm losing my mind. Maybe I _am._"_

Then, as those thoughts were swirling through Merlin's head, he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. There was a dark shadow straight ahead, moving along the wall as its owner moved soundlessly through the castle. Without warning, a shiver suddenly ran down Merlin's spine.

And then Merlin was running to catch up. He rounded the corner at the end of the hallway just in time to see the hem of a black cloak whip out of sight down another corridor.

He could feel it again. That sense of foreboding was pulsing through his body. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. He picked up the pace, then, unwilling to give up the pursuit. He suddenly just _knew_ that he needed to know who was in that cloak.

By the time he reached the corridor where he had seen the cloak disappear, the place was completely deserted. Frustrated, Merlin hurried down the hall and down a flight of stairs, all the while straining his ears for any sounds that might indicate that someone was nearby.

But the castle seemed to be empty. Merlin didn't run into any strangers in black cloaks. There didn't even seem to be any guards patrolling the corridors. The world was strangely, eerily, quiet. And Merlin was nervous.

When he finally heard the soft click of a door opening and closing, Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning the next corner, he came face to face with a door that led out into the courtyard. Without hesitation, Merlin wrenched the door open and ran out into the cool night air.

His sense was getting stronger. He was heading in the right direction. He was sure of it. He moved across the empty courtyard, turning his head in all directions, looking for any signs of a black cloak. But he was unlikely to see anything in the dark, he knew.

Then he had an idea. Closing his eyes, he whispered a few words of the Old Religion and his eyes flashed gold. It was a spell he hadn't used in months. He hadn't really needed it since regaining his eyesight. But he could feel the awareness spell coursing through him now, and within seconds he became more aware of everything around him.

Which is exactly why he spun around quickly as soon as the spell took effect. Two figures were approaching him from out of the shadows, and Merlin held his breath as they drew nearer.

As soon as they had come close enough for Merlin to see their faces, he took a nervous step backwards. He did not recognize these two men. Then his eyes moved over their clothing. Blue. The same shade of blue that Lord Walter and Lady Amelia had worn, as well as their guards and servants. These were Berradon men then. And that immediately set off several warning bells in Merlin's mind. Because what were these men doing alone out here in the courtyard at this time of night? For some reason, Merlin doubted that he would like the answer to that question.

"It's a bit late to be out for a stroll, don't you think?" one of the men said, raising an eyebrow as he met Merlin's gaze. Merlin wasn't sure what he had been expecting. The men looked so menacing, so threatening. Merlin certainly didn't expect for the man who had spoken to sound almost _friendly._ But he did.

Perhaps a little _too_ friendly, Merlin thought, as he eyed both of these men with suspicion. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the only reason these two men stood towering over him now was to distract him from his current goal: to find that cloaked figure.

At any rate, he didn't dare ask the two men standing before him if they had seen anything suspicious. They were Berradon men. And therefore, at least as far as Merlin was concerned, they couldn't be trusted.

"I was just heading back to my chambers," Merlin finally answered the man. It was at least half true, anyway. He really had been on his way to his chambers. That was until he began chasing a shadow along the wall. He pointed across the courtyard to indicate which direction he intended to head off in.

The two of them stared at Merlin for a moment then, considering him. Finally, the second man, the one who had remained silent up until this point, spoke.

"Well you best be on your way then." It was uttered as a suggestion, but Merlin thought he detected something of a warning in the man's tone.

"Right," Merlin replied, nodding his head as he turned to go. Using his awareness spell as he walked away, he soon determined that besides the two men who were behind him and likely watching him closely as he departed, there was no one else nearby. The person in the black cloak would be long gone by now. And therefore, Merlin knew there was nothing more he could do except to continue on his way back to his chambers.

* * *

Merlin entered the physician's chambers as quickly as possible, shutting the door and leaning heavily against the wood as his mind raced with the thoughts of what had just taken place.

"Merlin?" the physician's voice came from the other side of the room.

Merlin looked over at Gaius. The man was sitting in a chair near the fireplace, a book resting open on his lap. His expression was one of deep concern. He looked Merlin over carefully from his seated position before snapping his book shut and standing up.

"Merlin, what's wrong?"

Merlin finally moved farther into the room and sat down heavily on the bench at the table. He let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he wasn't sure how much he should tell Gaius about his suspicions. Merlin knew that the man was not likely to believe him any more than he had this morning when he had suggested that Ella may have actually been murdered.

But he had to tell someone. And the only person that he could really explain _everything _to was his mentor. He knew this. But still, he hesitated.

When Merlin failed to speak, Gaius decided to prompt him. "What happened at dinner, Merlin?"

Merlin's head jerked up to meet Gaius' gaze.

"You know how quickly news travels around here," the physician said, answering Merlin's unspoken question. "I understand that you knocked Arthur's goblet out of his hand?"

Merlin groaned and dropped his face into his hands.

Gaius frowned. "What happened?" he asked again.

"I thought it was poisoned," he mumbled, so that Gaius had to strain his ears to hear him.

"But it wasn't." the physician stated, the worry clear in his voice.

"No," Merlin sighed. Then he raised his head and tried to gather his thoughts for what he knew would be coming next.

"Why did you think it was?"

Merlin frowned as he looked down at the table. But he knew there would really be no point in trying to hide anything from Gaius. "I thought I could sense danger," he answered at last.

"From Lord Walter and Lady Amelia?"

Merlin nodded. "Lord Walter was just _staring _at Arthur with this look on his face. He was _glaring _at him.

"From what I know of Lord Walter, that doesn't sound entirely unusual," Gaius commented. "He may not be the friendliest of men, but I do not believe he would attempt to hurt Arthur."

Merlin shook his head. "But you didn't _feel _what I felt, Gaius. It was so strong. I was almost sure...And then I saw..." he trailed off.

"Saw what?" Gaius asked.

Merlin took a deep breath before answering. "It just flashed across my vision for a moment. But it was ultimately what made me knock the wine out of Arthur's hand."

"And what was that?" Gaius asked warily.

"James' eyes," Merlin answered in a whisper.

Gaius' eyes widened. "You saw Prince James' eyes?"

Merlin was almost certain that Gaius now thought he was insane. He just nodded his head in confirmation then, and waited for the physician to speak.

"Merlin," Gaius said, his voice sounding even more worried now than it had before. He moved to sit down at the table across from his ward.

"You think I'm losing my mind, don't you?" Merlin asked quietly. "I know Arthur does."

"You told Arthur everything you just told me?" Gaius said, surprised.

"No. He asked me why I knocked his goblet away and so I told him I just had a funny feeling about it."

"I see."

"And I also told him I suspected the Lord and Lady of Berradon," Merlin said quickly. "Of both the poison and Ella's death."

"Merlin! I thought we agreed-"

"I know, but he was demanding answers and so I just – told him."

Gaius sighed. "And what did Arthur have to say about this?"

"He didn't believe me," Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "And he wants to send me to Ealdor for a couple weeks."

"That might not be such a bad idea, Merlin."

"But I can't just leave-"

"Perhaps some time away from Camelot will do you a world of good, Merlin. And Hunith would be so pleased to see you-"

"I can't go!" Merlin said firmly.

"Merlin," Gaius began, making sure that he was looking directly into Merlin's eyes as he spoke. "The wine was not poisoned. You feared that it was, and it was not."

"But-" Merlin started, but Gaius held up a hand to silence him so that he could continue.

"And we have already discussed your suspicions about Ella's death. But the fact of the matter is that the girl was ill. I am afraid that it was really only a matter of time-"

"There's something else, though," Merlin cut in. He figured he might as well tell Gaius everything.

The physician fell silent and just stared at Merlin expectantly.

"On my way back here from Arthur's chambers," Merlin began, "I saw _someone_ moving through the castle. And almost immediately, that sense of danger was back again."

Gaius frowned. "Did you see this person's face?"

"Well, no," Merlin admitted. "Mostly I just saw their shadow on the wall. But I did see the hem of a black cloak whip around a corner. I tried to follow them but I, uh...lost them in the courtyard."

Gaius seemed to be considering his next words carefully, for it was several seconds before he spoke again.

"This _shadow _that you saw. Are you sure you didn't just imagine it? Like the image of James' eyes?"

Merlin shook his head, frustrated. "I know what I saw. The only reason I even _lost_ the person was that these two Berradon men approached me in the courtyard and stopped me. They were probably working with whoever was in that cloak-"

"Merlin."

"Well why else would they have been hanging around in the courtyard? And why did they approach me?" Merlin feared that he may just be starting to sound desperate.

"Perhaps they were on their way to the tavern?" Gaius suggested. "I really don't know, Merlin. But what I do know is that you are really starting to worry me."

Merlin groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ever since the incident with James, Merlin, you seem to be more – distrustful - of people. What you went through was terrible and-"

"I know, Gaius," Merlin interrupted, starting to feel irritated. "I've heard this a hundred times before. I went through something horrible, and it changed me. I know that. But I can't just ignore these feelings that I've been having. Something is _wrong_."

Gaius remained silent as he stared at Merlin in concern.

"Gaius," Merlin began. He needed to get this right if he was to have the physician's support in his decision to remain in Camelot. "I know you don't think that there is anything suspicious going on with the Lord and Lady of Berradon. I know you don't believe that they pose a threat to Arthur. But I...really think they do. And I can't leave Camelot for _two weeks_ feeling like Arthur is in danger. I just can't. If anything, it would just make things worse for me. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I left him unprotected. And if anything were to happen to him in my absence..."

Gaius sighed once Merlin had trailed off into silence.

At last, he spoke. "I really think that you are suffering from a severe case of paranoia, Merlin. But, if you feel that strongly about it, and you want to stay close to Arthur until the nobles leave, I won't try to make you go to Ealdor."

Merlin smiled. "Thank you, Gaius. Unfortunately, the prat thinks _he_ can. He didn't even give me a choice in the matter. He just _ordered _me to go."

"Well, considering that you accused two nobles of murder without any evidence whatsoever, you ought to be grateful that all you were given was two weeks off of work. I know Uther-"

"Probably would have had me hanged," Merlin finished for him. "I know."

"And so how do you expect to stay in Camelot when Arthur has ordered you away?"

"It's a big castle. Lots of places to hide. I'll just keep my eye on him from a distance, and uh..."

"That's going to be far easier said than done, my boy. And don't forget that the Queen and all the knights will likely be made aware of your 'departure', as well. So you'll have to avoid them, too."

Merlin sighed. He hadn't thought of that. He was quiet for a moment then, thinking hard. Then he shook his head. "I'll just have to make it work." Then he stood up with the intention of going to his room.

"Merlin?" Gaius called out when Merlin had reached the stairs that led up to his room.

"Yeah?" Merlin turned back around.

"I want you to promise me that you are only staying here to keep an eye on Arthur. Do _not _seek out the nobles. I do not want you to spend the next couple weeks trying to prove Lord Walter's and Lady Amelia's guilt. No matter how much you may believe in it, you'll only make more trouble for yourself if you're caught. Do I have your word on that?"

Merlin hesitated for only a moment before replying. "Of course, Gaius. I'm only here to watch the prat. Not seek out trouble."

Gaius nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer, and Merlin hurried into his room. He really hated lying to Gaius.

But sometimes it was necessary.

* * *

**A/N: My sister is convinced that I'm purposely making Gaius even more frustrating than usual just to annoy her (And I do so love to annoy her). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think! Until next time! :)**


	8. Lies and Alibis

**A/N: My sincerest apologies once again for the infrequent and irregular updates I've been putting out lately. I'm going to see what I can do about getting myself on a more regular updating schedule. Hopefully soon. **

**Anyway, it's nearly 3:30 in the morning, and I am absolutely exhausted. So I think I'll go to bed now. Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

Arthur was not happy. At all. He moved at a brisk pace through the corridors of the castle, determined to take care of this – _issue _– as quickly as possible.

Gwaine was at the King's side as they made their way to the physician's chambers together. He had run into Arthur soon after leaving his chambers that morning, and the royal had requested that the knight accompany him to Gaius' chambers.

"What for?" Gwaine had asked, falling into step beside the King.

"Merlin," Arthur had stated simply, and Gwaine had chosen not to question the King any further at the tone of voice in which his friend's name was uttered.

They soon reached the physician's chambers, and Arthur wasted no time in throwing the door open and striding inside, Gwaine following close on his heels.

Gaius looked up at the sudden, noisy entrance to his chambers from his position by the table and raised an eyebrow at the King.

"Yes, Sire?" he asked calmly, already sure that he knew the reason for the royal's visit.

"When did he leave?" Arthur demanded, glaring at the physician.

"Early this morning, Sire. He said he wanted to leave as soon as possible."

"That idiot!" Arthur said angrily.

"Excuse me," Gwaine cut in. "Would somebody please explain to me what is going on?"

"Merlin left for Ealdor early this morning," Gaius answered, his voice still calm and steady.

"Why?" Gwaine asked, looking from Gaius to Arthur.

"I told him to take some time off," Arthur explained, running a hand through his hair in obvious irritation. "But this morning, when I sent for him, I was informed by another servant that he had already left. Without saying a word."

Gaius frowned. "Merlin's gone off on his own many times before, Sire. And I believe he was under the impression that you wanted him to leave right away."

Arthur just shook his head. "Idiot," he said again. "Merlin knows that it's too dangerous to be traveling alone these days. The number of bandit attacks has been up this past month and we all know he's completely hopeless when it comes to defending himself."

"You should give him more credit, Arthur," Gaius responded. "Merlin is quite capable of taking care of himself."

Arthur scoffed and crossed his arms.

Gwaine was staring at Arthur again. "Did you actually _tell_ Merlin to not go off alone?"

"I didn't think I had to!"

"Really, Arthur?" Gwaine rolled his eyes. "This is _Merlin _we're talking about. If you didn't spell it out for him-"

"I know," Arthur said in frustration. He sighed and turned back to Gaius. "How early did he leave?"

"At first light, Sire."

Arthur nodded. "Gwaine-"

"You don't have to say anything," Gwaine interrupted, holding up a hand. "I'll go after him."

"Good," Arthur said. "Make sure he gets to Ealdor safely."

"Are you sure that is necessary, Sire?" Gaius asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Arthur responded.

Gaius headed over to his workbench as he continued speaking. "Merlin has noticed, you know."

"Noticed what?" Arthur asked, watching the physician skeptically.

Gaius picked up a knife and began chopping up the nearest herbs. "How you've been treating him lately, Sire. I believe the word he used was "overbearing".

"Over- what? That's ridiculous!" Arthur spluttered.

Gaius nodded. "I quite agree, Sire. Perhaps 'worried' is a better word. Of course, after what happened to him all those months ago, I think it only natural that we've all been showing a bit more concern for Merlin's wellbeing."

"Now, hang on a minute," Arthur protested. "More concern?"

"Merlin's been quite frustrated by it, actually. He thinks you feel sorry for him, Arthur. And it makes him uncomfortable."

Arthur was momentarily lost for words. "Sorry for him?" he finally managed to say.

Gaius just nodded.

Arthur sighed, as he considered exactly what he should say next. "Gaius, it cannot have escaped your notice that Merlin has been acting a bit – strange since our guests arrived. He's somehow managed to convince himself that-"

"I am fully aware of what has happened, Arthur. And you were right to send him to Ealdor for some time off. I believe it will do him a world of good. But sending Gwaine after him may not be the best course of action. I think he's looking forward to some time alone."

"He didn't seem too pleased about the whole situation last night," Arthur commented.

"All the more reason to just let him be, I should think."

"You're not at all worried about him traveling alone in the forest?" Arthur said, a little incredulously.

"As I said before, Sire, Merlin is more than capable of taking care of himself."

It was silent in the physician's chambers for another moment or two. And then, unsure of what else to do, Arthur finally relented. "Fine. Gwaine, don't go after him."

Confused, Gwaine raised his eyebrows. "What happened with our guests? What has Merlin been-"

"I'll tell you about it later," Arthur said, letting out another sigh. "Now, come on," Arthur clapped a hand to one of Gwaine's shoulders. "We're already late for practice."

Gwaine looked as though he wanted to say more, but decided against it. He nodded towards Gaius then before turning to follow Arthur from the chambers.

Gaius breathed a huge sigh of relief when he found himself alone once more. It would not do for Gwaine to set out looking for Merlin only to find that the young man hadn't actually gone to Ealdor.

He really hoped Merlin knew what he was doing.

* * *

Merlin had no idea what he was doing.

He did have a plan. Somewhat. The problem was that he hadn't really worked out many of the details yet.

He had risen from his bed far earlier than he normally would have. Before any light had even touched the sky. He had dressed quickly then and hurried out of his bedroom and across the main chamber as quietly as possible so as not to wake Gaius.

Unfortunately, his efforts failed when he tripped over a stool in the middle of the room and fell hard on the ground.

Gaius had shot straight up in bed at the noise and then Merlin, who had immediately jumped back to his feet, had had to quickly explain to the physician what he was doing. Or at least, give the old man a partially truthful explanation.

"I'm just going down to the kitchens, Gaius," he explained to his mentor.

"What on earth for? Arthur won't be up for hours yet."

Merlin nodded. "I know. But if I want to get something to eat, I should probably go now. I don't want to risk being seen later on."

"Something to eat? But you always eat your meals here. And what do you mean, you don't want to 'risk being seen'? Surely you were planning on _telling_ Arthur when you were 'leaving'?"

Merlin sighed. This was why he had wanted to avoid talking to Gaius. Too many questions.

"One of the cooks has been giving me some extra food lately," Merlin lied smoothly. "I should probably make myself scarce around here anyway. There always seems to be a steady flow of visitors during the day."

"And Arthur?" Gaius inquired.

"If I told him I was leaving, he would want to send someone with me. Bandit activity in the forest has been up over the past few weeks." Merlin headed for the door again.

"And if he wants to send someone after you?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and then turned to face his mentor. "Then tell him to stop being such an overbearing prat. It's really starting to annoy me."

Merlin had left then and headed straight for the kitchens, meeting no one but the occasional guard as he walked through the nearly silent corridors.

The real reason Merlin wanted to go to the kitchens had nothing to do with food. He had only lied to Gaius because the old man thought that his sole purpose for remaining in Camelot was to look after Arthur.

The reality was that he was looking for information regarding the royal guests of Camelot. Anything that might give him a clue as to what the Lord and Lady of Berradon might be plotting. And Merlin knew that the best way to get information in the castle was to go where the gossip was. And the kitchens were always full of gossiping servants.

Upon reaching his destination, Merlin found the kitchens to be far quieter than he had ever seen them before. That wasn't to say that there weren't a lot of servants already up and working. Because there were. But within the next hour or so, more and more servants would arrive until the place was so overcrowded that it would be difficult to move in any direction without bumping into someone.

"Merlin!" a voice said excitedly.

Merlin turned and smiled at the young boy who had called his name. "Nicholas! I _thought_ I remembered you telling me that you worked the early mornings."

Nicholas nodded. "Yep. What brings you here so early? The King isn't up already, is he?"

Merlin scoffed. "Arthur? No. I actually came to see you. Do you have a minute?"

Nicholas dodged out of the way of an older serving girl as she hurried past and nodded. "Sure. What is it?" The boy pulled a rag out of his pocket and began wiping his hands as he stared at Merlin curiously.

Merlin glanced around the room quickly. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Over there," Merlin said, inclining his head towards the far corner of the room, away from everyone else.

Nicholas nodded and followed Merlin over to the more private area.

Merlin finally turned to face the boy and spoke in a quiet voice. "What do you know about Lord Walter and Lady Amelia?"

"The royal guests?" Nicholas asked, surprised.

Merlin nodded. "Have you heard anything about them that might seem – strange at all? Perhaps their servants have said something?"

Nicholas frowned. "Is something wrong, Merlin?"

Merlin sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. Have you heard anything, Nicholas?"

The boy just shook his head. "The Berradon servants don't say much at all. At least not the ones that come to the kitchens. They usually just slip in, pick up some food, and then leave again. I never see them talking to any of the Camelot servants."

Merlin suppressed another sigh.

"Would you like me to talk to them?" Nicholas offered.

"No, Nicholas. It's fine. You don't have to."

"No, I will. What exactly do you want to know?"

Merlin thought for a moment. "Just...ask them how they like working for the Lord and Lady. See what you can get them to tell you about what it's like being a servant in the Berradon household."

Nicholas nodded. "I can do that."

"Great. Thank you, Nicholas. I'll see you later, okay?"

Nicholas just nodded again and smiled as Merlin hurried from the kitchens, before walking back over to his station and getting back to work.

* * *

Merlin sighed when he was walking back down the corridor away from the kitchens. He planned to spend the rest of the day tailing Arthur, making sure the King remained safe and unharmed. And hopefully, in that time, Nicholas would be able to extract something useful from one or more of the Berradon servants.

Merlin had to admit to himself that it wasn't really much of a plan. But, for now at least, it would have to do.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this story. And another thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I always enjoy reading my reviews! Until next time! :)**


	9. Hiding

**A/N: So hopefully I'll be able to update this story more often now (No promises, of course). But anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :) **

* * *

In Camelot, there was an unspoken rule amongst the servants in the castle that most of them, with only a handful of exceptions, always abided by. And that rule was that while they gossiped freely amongst themselves about the affairs of the nobility and esteemed members of the court, they never spoke about another servant except when well out of earshot of the nobles, and even then, only in hushed whispers tucked away in a private corner of the room. Unless of course the servant-related gossip involved some nobles as well. The incident where Merlin knocked a goblet out of the King's hand was currently the talk of the castle.

But generally speaking, servants stayed out of the affairs of other servants, and they certainly did not speak about those affairs with the nobility, who, for the most part, ignored them anyway. It just simply wasn't done.

Therefore, Merlin was fairly confident that, even when the news was spread around the castle that he was supposed to be in Ealdor, (and there was no doubt in his mind that the news would, indeed, spread), the fact that he was actually still in the castle would not make its way back to Arthur from any of the servants that he may run into during the day.

At least he hoped not. The one servant that Merlin had to admit _did _make him slightly nervous was George. He would be Arthur's temporary manservant until Merlin "returned" from Ealdor. And although Merlin doubted that the man would be the one to bring the subject up, he suspected that all it would take would be a quick comment from Arthur about him, and George would not hesitate to mention having seen Merlin wandering the castle corridors.

So he needed to avoid George then, Merlin decided as he gazed out the window of an empty guest chamber with a view of the practice field, where the knights were spending the morning training. Merlin watched as Arthur split the knights into pairs in preparation for some drills. And George stood dutifully off to the side, ready should the King have need of him.

Another name to add to the list.

_"George, Gwen, all of the knights, and Arthur,"_ he rattled off the names of the people that he would need to avoid. It couldn't be_ that_ difficult, could it?

But as Merlin looked down at the scene before him, he realized that it was going to be _very _difficult, considering what he needed to do. He was supposed to be trailing Arthur. Looking out for him.

But just this morning when he had been trying to figure out where exactly he was going to hide in order to watch the training session, he had quickly realized that going outside to get closer to the training grounds would be far too risky. There were no good hiding places near enough to see clearly. He knew he would simply have to watch from a window in the castle then.

Merlin rested his forehead against the glass and suppressed a yawn as the morning wore on. After awhile, Arthur began sparring with Leon, and they were surrounded by the other knights of Camelot, who were all watching the match intently. The King was about as safe as he could be at the moment.

With that thought in mind, Merlin allowed his eyes to slide shut for a short time. He was still tired from waking up so early this morning. Arthur would be just fine, he told himself.

Several seconds passed. Merlin sighed and rubbed at the back of his head where a headache was starting to form. And then a strange, tingling sensation began at the base of his neck and quickly moved down his spine and throughout the rest of his body.

His eyes flew open once more and his gaze found Arthur. Nothing had changed. The King was still training with Leon, the two of them clearly evenly matched.

Merlin turned his head then to scan the small crowd of onlookers who had gathered to watch the training session. A few servants and guards who were off duty, for the most part. And then Merlin saw them.

The two Berradon men that he had met in the courtyard just last night. They were standing behind the other onlookers, apparently very interested in the sparring match going on before them. Merlin watched them closely as his magic continued to hum beneath the surface of his skin. Another warning. Or else, further proof that he was going insane.

_"But I got this feeling before I even knew they were down there,"_ he reasoned with himself. _"I'm not just imagining this."_

Merlin unlatched the window and cracked it open, not taking his eye off the two Berradon men for a second. He allowed his magic to flow to the tips of his fingers, ready to use should he need it. He watched as the two conversed quietly in whispers so that no one around them was likely to hear. From time to time, they tore their gaze away from Arthur and Leon's clashing swords to get a better look at their surroundings. Merlin wondered what they might be up to.

At last, the training session ended. Merlin couldn't be sure who had won the sparring contest, as he hadn't really been paying much attention to the last few minutes of the match. And as the knights prepared to leave the field, Merlin continued to watch the men from Berradon, his magic still on high alert.

When it happened, it was quick. So quick that had Merlin not been completely focused on the men from Berradon, he may have missed it. But there was no mistaking it. As everyone below began to disperse and go their separate ways, one of the Berradon men looked up. And locked gazes with Merlin.

It lasted only a second. And then Merlin pulled back from the window, his breath momentarily caught in his throat, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. This was bad. This was _very _bad.

_"Stop overreacting," _he thought.

_"But he _saw _me. He knows I was watching them. He must have known the whole time."_

_"Or it could have been a coincidence. He could have just happened to look up and see you."_

_"Then did anybody else see me?"_

Merlin shook his head, silencing the argument that was going on in his head. He didn't have time for this. He took a cautious step back over to the window and peered out. The two men from Berradon had disappeared. Merlin's eyes darted around, looking for any sign of them. But there was none. They were gone.

Then his eyes found Arthur. The King was speaking with Leon as they headed back inside the castle together, George following close behind, the other knights having already left the training grounds. Sighing, Merlin moved away from the window. For now, all he could do was stick with the plan he had come up with.

Arthur would likely be heading back to his chambers now. Merlin left the empty guest chambers and set off in that direction.

* * *

On his way over to Arthur's chambers, Merlin's mind became so occupied with thoughts of the men from Berradon, that he failed to pay very much attention to his surroundings. Luckily for him, however, the corridors and staircases he took remained, for the most part, empty. He only passed a few servants and guards on his way, none of whom seemed to show him any interest at all.

Of course, Merlin's luck very nearly ran out when he finally reached the corridor where the royal chambers were located. He was walking slowly down the deserted passageway when he was jolted from his thoughts quite suddenly at the sound of a familiar voice echoing down the hallway.

Looking around frantically, Merlin spotted a tapestry on the wall. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself behind it just as Gwaine and Percival rounded the corner and continued down the corridor, discussing that morning's training session as they passed Merlin's hiding place.

As soon as the knights' voices and footfalls faded away, Merlin let out the breath he had been holding and leaned his head back against the wall. He didn't dare leave his spot now, though, as Arthur was likely to be along soon.

Sure enough, only a few moments later, more footsteps could be heard entering the corridor. Deciding not to risk peeking out from behind the tapestry to see who it was, Merlin instead strained his ears to listen.

"Thank you, George," Merlin heard Arthur say. "That will be all for now."

"Yes, Sire," came the response, and Merlin could just imagine how the servant would bow deeply towards Arthur before walking away.

When the servant was gone, Arthur spoke again. "Now Leon, there is something we need to discuss."

"Is there something wrong, Sire?" Leon asked.

"Possibly. I received some troubling news early this morning."

No more words were spoken then as the door to the royal chambers was opened and the two men stepped inside.

Merlin frowned as he heard the door close once more with a click. That couldn't be good. Arthur's voice had sounded serious, worried. But whatever it was that needed to be discussed couldn't be too terrible, could it? Not if Arthur had still held training this morning?

Cautiously, Merlin moved out from behind his tapestry to move closer to Arthur's chambers. If he could just get close enough to listen-

There were more footsteps. And Merlin darted back to his hiding place. He listened as what sounded like two pairs of footfalls passed the tapestry and continued down the hall.

And there it was again. Merlin's magic came to life within him, alerting him to _something._ Merlin quickly peered out from behind his hiding place then and his eyes settled on the retreating backs of the two Berradon men.

_"Do they always wander around the castle together?"_ Merlin thought to himself. Come to think of it, he had hardly seen any of the other Berradon servants and guards at all. Yet somehow, he kept seeing these two. Merlin's suspicions were growing.

The young warlock looked over at the door to Arthur's chambers. Then back to the spot where the two Berradon men had disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor. He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking hard. He needed to come to a quick decision. When he opened his eyes once more, he gave the door to Arthur's room one last quick glance before hurrying down the corridor and rounding the corner, determined to catch up to the two men.

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**A/N: As always, feel free to leave a review. I love reading them! Until next time! :)**


	10. Approaching Danger

**A/N: So it's finally official! I'm an aunt! And so a huge Congratulations goes to my older sister on the birth of her beautiful daughter! She is absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't be any prouder or happier! :D **

**Of course, when I finally got home from the hospital today (okay, technically yesterday, since it is well after midnight now) after seeing my niece for the first time, I decided to celebrate the best way I know how: By doing some writing so I could finally get this chapter done and posted. Enjoy!**

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Merlin found that tracking down the two Berradon men was a far more difficult task than he had anticipated. This was mostly due to the fact that every time he could hear footsteps approaching from any direction, he would have to duck into the nearest alcove or hurry around the next corner in order to avoid the possibility of being seen by somebody he would much rather avoid.

For the most part, however, the people he ended up hiding from turned out to be servants, who likely would not have given Merlin a second glance had they happened to pass him in the corridor.

It was starting to make Merlin feel frustrated. How was he going to get any answers about what might be going on in the castle if he had to keep hiding at every little noise? How exactly was he supposed to make this work?

In the end, it was really only due to Merlin's magic that he was able to figure out where the two men had gone. It seemed to hum louder in his ears whenever he was headed in the right direction, and would quickly become silent when he took a wrong turn.

Once, Merlin nearly ran straight into George, who seemed to be extraordinarily gifted in the art of moving around without making a sound, and it was only thanks to Merlin's awareness spell that he was able to dive behind a large statue a split second before George rounded the corner only feet away from where he stood.

Peering out from behind the statue to watch George's retreating back, Merlin briefly wondered why it was that Arthur didn't just take George out on all those hunting trips instead of him. The man was clearly better at being stealthy than he was. Merlin was actually surprised that he had managed to get this far along in the day without being caught. He had to hope that that luck wouldn't run out on him.

As soon as the corridor was empty once more, Merlin stepped out from behind his statue and headed in the direction that George had just come from. Even without the help of his magic, he was fairly certain that he knew where the Berradon men were headed now, for this side of the castle was where the guest chambers that were being occupied by the visitors were located.

With this in mind, Merlin decided to take some of the less traveled corridors and passageways to his destination. This allowed him to move at a much faster pace as, besides from a few servants who completely ignored him as they passed by, he was the only one in these hallways.

Within minutes, Merlin was in the hallway where the visitors' chambers were located. At first, he was worried that he may have already missed the men. That they had already disappeared behind one of the doors and he would then be left to try and figure out which one that was.

But the shortcut he had taken should have allowed him to arrive first, he knew. Even with all of those earlier delays of jumping behind statues and into shadowed alcoves. And so Merlin ducked behind a tapestry in the middle of the empty corridor to wait for a few minutes, hoping that he had not been wrong in assuming that this was where the Berradon men had been headed.

Fortunately, he did not have long to wait before he could hear footsteps echoing off the walls of the corridor. Merlin felt his heart pounding in his chest then as his magic began to hum again, sending a tingling sensation throughout his entire body. He didn't dare to look, but he was fairly certain that he was hearing two sets of footsteps. The Berradon men were here.

Merlin listened carefully as the men approached a door somewhere off to the right on the other side of the corridor. A moment passed then in which the corridor was completely silent. And then one of the men raised his knuckles to the wood and rapped loudly against the door three times.

There was a long pause in which the whole corridor seemed to be holding its breath. And then the creaking sound of a door being opened reached Merlin's ears.

The silence that followed seemed, at least to Merlin, to be filled with tension and unease. But the moment soon passed and a small, timid voice cut through the quiet of the corridor, so soft that Merlin had to strain his ears to hear what was being said.

"The Lord and Lady are not in at the moment," the voice said. Merlin thought he recognized that voice, but couldn't quite place it before there was a reply.

"Where are they then?" one of the men asked, suddenly not sounding nearly as friendly as he had the night before when Merlin had met the two of them in the courtyard.

"I don't know," the quiet voice spoke again, and this time Merlin remembered where he had heard it before.

* * *

"_Go on. I'll clean this up," Merlin had said to the girl, who was currently on her knees, trying to soak up as much of the spilled wine as she could._

_"Are you sure?" had been the quiet reply._

_"Of course. Don't worry about it."_

_Then the young maidservant had given him a grateful smile and whispered her thanks before hurrying to follow her mistress, the Lady Amelia, from the room._

_But not before Merlin had caught sight of the many bruises that decorated the young girl's arms._

* * *

Merlin was brought back out of his thoughts when the second man suddenly spoke up.

"We'll wait."

Merlin finally decided to peer out from behind the tapestry to watch the scene taking place on the other side of the corridor. He could not see Lady Amelia's maidservant standing in the doorway, but he did see the two large men push their way into the chambers and slam the door shut loudly.

And suddenly, Merlin was afraid. That sense was back again. That terrible sense of danger and foreboding. He saw Ella, again. Pale and unmoving on the floor. Dead.

What if those two men had had something to do with Ella's death? And now they were in that room alone with the Lady's maidservant. Anna.

Merlin's heart rate increased. They wouldn't hurt Lady Amelia's maidservant, would they? It didn't make any sense. But then why was his magic suddenly doing its very best to claw at the underside of his skin in warning?

Maybe she knew something that she shouldn't. Perhaps she had become a liability in whatever scheme was currently taking place in the castle.

What if Lord Walter, whom Merlin did not trust at all, had _ordered_ the men to take care of the problem?

_Or what if they're just going to do exactly what they said they were going to do? Wait for the Lord and Lady to return?_

Merlin hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he should do. But then he thought of Ella again and, unable to just stand there doing nothing any longer, Merlin stepped out from behind the tapestry. And then, without really giving the situation a second thought, he walked right up to the door. And knocked.

* * *

When Gwen opened the door to the royal chambers, she very nearly ran right into Leon, who had been making his way for the exit.

"Excuse me, My Lady," the knight said immediately, giving the Queen a short bow. "My apologies."

"I believe it was I who nearly ran into _you_, Leon," Gwen replied quietly, giving the knight a small smile. "I should be the one apologizing."

Leon returned the smile with one of his own, but Gwen saw the worry etched into his features. "I must be on my way, now. My apologies, again, My Lady" he said, exiting the room then before Gwen had the chance to respond.

"Guinevere," Arthur said, coming out from behind his desk to greet his wife. "How is Ella's family today?"

"They are doing as well as can be expected," Gwen answered, the sadness clear in her voice. "It's not going to be easy for a while. But they are strong," she continued, wringing her hands absentmindedly as she turned to gaze out the window.

Arthur was at her side in a moment, enveloping her in his arms. "You're strong, too," he whispered.

Gwen smiled sadly and let out a sigh before pulling back from her husband's embrace to get a better look at his face.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" the Queen asked then. "I saw the worry in Leon's face."

Arthur sighed. "Nothing the knights won't be able to handle. And nothing that you need to be concerning yourself with right now."

Gwen just stared at Arthur. "Tell me."

"There have been more reports of bandit activity near Camelot," the King explained at last. "I received the news early this morning and immediately doubled the patrol before training. That should take care of it."

Gwen frowned. "What's worrying you, Arthur?"

"What do you mean?"

"You say that the knights are more than capable of taking care of this and yet you seem anxious about something. What is it?"

Arthur just shook his head. "I'm only worried about the damage and harm these bandits may yet cause."

It was another moment before Gwen found her voice again. "I was talking to Gwaine just a few moments ago. He said that Merlin left for Ealdor early this morning."

"He went to visit his mother." Arthur stated simply.

Gwen nodded. "Gwaine also said that he left alone?"

Arthur nodded and headed back to his desk, picking up a report that was lying there on its surface and giving it a cursory glance.

"Do you think he'll be alright on his own?" Gwen asked, her voice filled with concern for her friend. "It's clearly not a safe time to be travelling alone."

"He'll be fine," Arthur answered. "It's like Gaius said. He can take care of himself."

Gwen just nodded in response. "Yes, I'm sure he can."

Arthur sighed as he set the report back down on the desk then and folded his arms. "You really think so?"

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "Don't you?"

Arthur sighed again and shook his head. "All I know is that that _idiot_ seems to attract trouble wherever he goes."

"It seems to me that Merlin is only ever following _you_ around, Arthur. Are you sure it's not just _you_ who attracts the trouble?" Gwen said, a small smile playing across her lips. "Perhaps some time away is the best thing for him."

Arthur returned Gwen's smile and shook his head. "You're probably right. I'm sure Merlin's next two weeks in Ealdor will be completely quiet and uneventful."

"I'm sure they will be," Gwen agreed.

And with that, Arthur returned to the chair behind his desk, his mind finally having been put somewhat at ease.

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**A/N: Please let me know what you think! I welcome any kind of feedback! Until next time! :)**


	11. Wariness

**A/N: Hello everyone! Don't worry, I am still alive (Although there were times over the past few days where I did feel like I was dying). Yes, I have been really, _really_ sick this past week, which is why you haven't heard from me in so long. The worst of it was a couple of nights ago when my fever spiked to near-dangerous levels and yet I was shivering because I felt so _cold _(It was horrible). **

**But anyway, I'm starting to feel a lot better. I'm mostly just battling a sore throat now (nothing a bag of cough drops can't fix) and so I finally got around to writing this chapter today. It's a bit shorter than I had originally planned it to be, but at this point, I just want to get something published after such a long gap between updates. Enjoy!**

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Merlin took a step back from the door, his breath suddenly caught in his throat.

What...had he just done?

He heard a loud noise coming from inside the room, like glass shattering against the floor. And then there was silence.

Merlin's magic seemed to be trying to claw its way out from under his skin. Something was wrong. Something was _very _wrong.

For a moment, Merlin considered running away to find help. But as soon as the thought occurred to him, he realized it was a bad idea. He had no evidence beyond a gut feeling that anything out of the ordinary was happening behind that closed door. Who would believe him?

Arthur certainly wouldn't. In fact, the King would likely be absolutely livid if he were to discover that Merlin had been lurking about the castle all day, secretly looking for any clues that may serve to incriminate the Lord and Lady of Berradon.

So then should he wait for someone to answer the door? That idea could prove to be even more stupid than trying to find help. But Merlin really didn't have very many options, and he knew that his time to decide was running out. He heard footsteps behind the door and instinctively took a step back.

And bumped right into something tall. A person.

"Clumsy fool!" the person exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

Merlin's insides turned to ice. He knew that voice. And there wasn't anybody in the entire world that he wanted to see less at the moment. He allowed himself time for one quick, calming breath before turning around slowly to meet the stormy gaze of the Lord of Berradon.

"Well, what is it?" the Lord asked impatiently, as Merlin quickly dropped his gaze to the floor.

"I was sent to inquire if there was anything more you may require to make your stay in Camelot more comfortable, my Lord," Merlin invented quickly.

"No, nothing. Although some peace and quiet would be nice every now and again," the Lord said, clearly irritated. As he finished speaking, the door finally swung open.

Merlin immediately tensed but forced himself to remain still.

"Is everything okay out here, my Lord?" one of the Berradon men asked, evidently having been the one to open the door.

"Just fine," Lord Walter replied as he continued to glare down at Merlin. "You can run along now, boy. Your services will not be needed."

Merlin made sure to bow quickly towards Lord Walter as the man made to enter the guest chambers. The Berradon man stepped aside to allow the noble to pass, and as he did so, he let his eyes wander over to Merlin.

Sensing that he was being watched, Merlin raised his eyes to meet those of the tall, muscular Berradon man. Gone were any traces of friendliness in those eyes that may have been present in the courtyard when Merlin had first encountered this man and his partner. What he saw there now was something that Merlin could only describe as pure hostility.

Merlin swallowed as he stared back at the man. He knew he ought to turn around and leave, but for some unexplained reason, he just couldn't seem to get his legs to _move._

But then the door was slammed shut and Merlin was left alone in the hallway once more. He allowed himself a quick sigh of relief before realizing that he still had no idea what was going on in those guest chambers. He had lost his opportunity to look inside.

Frustrated, Merlin slowly walked away from the door. His magic was still humming insistently beneath the surface, but he knew that there was nothing more that he could do at the moment. He did not want to risk angering Lord Walter anymore than he already had.

But what about the Lady's maidservant? Would she be alright in that room all alone with Lord Walter and those two Berradon men? Hadn't Merlin already seen the bruises decorating the young girl's arms?

Merlin had reached the end of the hallway. He paused there, though, knowing that he didn't feel right about leaving when there was the possibility that the girl could be in danger. He started to run through his options in his head, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

Before he could come to any decisions, however, the door to the guest chambers that had, only moments ago, slammed shut right before Merlin, was flung open once more.

Merlin quickly rounded the corner and peered back around to see who had left the room.

It was the young maidservant. Anna. And she was headed in the opposite direction down the corridor.

Merlin let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. At least she was safe. She wasn't in that room.

For now at least.

Merlin quickly decided that he needed to talk to her. See if she knew anything about what might be going on around here.

Reluctant to pass the door again, Merlin decided to take another route to catch up to the young girl. He darted through the next passageway and the next, cursing silently under his breath when he was held up by a small group of young knights headed in the opposite direction.

The group of men took so long in passing by the little alcove that Merlin was hiding in, that the young warlock could hardly be surprised when he reached the corridor where he had hoped to meet Anna and found the place to be completely deserted.

Merlin sighed in annoyance and turned down another passageway which led down to the kitchens. Perhaps that was where the girl had been heading. And if so, Merlin might just get a chance to speak with her.

When Merlin entered the kitchens, he was almost immediately pushed to the side by another servant on his way out. He moved through the crowded space as quickly as he could, craning his head to look over the other workers, hoping to see Anna.

"Merlin? Did you need something?"

Merlin turned to meet the gaze of the cook who had addressed him. "Abigail," he greeted, looking over the young woman's shoulder as he spoke. "I was just – looking for someone."

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "Nicholas?"

Merlin looked back to Abigail. "No. Why?"

"He was looking for _you _before."

"And where is he now?"

"He was sent out a little while ago to run some more errands. He should be back soon though if you wanted to wait for him."

Merlin nodded. "In the meantime, maybe you could help me find somebody else."

Abigail nodded as she wiped her hands on her apron. "I'll help if I can. Who are you looking for?"

"The Lady Amelia's maidservant. Anna. She would have come in not long before I did."

Abigail frowned and shook her head. "I haven't seen her. Of course, it's pretty crowded in here. She'd be fairly easy to miss."

Merlin nodded his thanks and then headed over to the far corner, hoping to catch sight of either Anna or Nicholas.

* * *

The servants filtered in and out of the kitchens, and the afternoon continued to wear on. It soon became apparent to Merlin that Anna had not come down to the kitchens, as he had seen no sign of her. More likely, she had gone off in search of her mistress, the Lady Amelia.

And so now, Merlin found himself waiting for Nicholas to get back from whatever errands he had needed to run. It was taking far longer than he had hoped it would take. He followed the movements of the workers as they came and went. An hour passed. Then two. He just hoped the young boy would have some information for him.

The crowd of servants had significantly thinned by the time Merlin finally spotted Nicholas entering the kitchens. He immediately walked up to the boy upon seeing him, and Nicholas seemed relieved to find Merlin there waiting for him.

"Merlin," he said. "There you are."

"Here I am. I've been waiting for you all afternoon. Is everything alright? Did you find anything out?"

Nicholas glanced cautiously around the room before nodding towards the corner.

Merlin followed the boy over to the more private location. "What is it?" he asked almost immediately when he was sure that they were out of earshot of the rest of the workers.

Nicholas didn't answer right away. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Something...it's just...something's wrong."

"Why do you say that?" Merlin asked quickly. So far, he had been led to believe that his suspicions were completely unfounded. What had Nicholas heard?

The young boy sighed and shook his head again. "I don't know," he repeated. "I talked to a few of the Berradon servants like you asked."

"And what did they say?" Merlin prompted when Nicholas paused.

"Not much. But they all said the same thing when they did speak. That they liked working for the Lord and Lady. That they were treated well enough. Only..."

"Only what?"

"Only most of them seemed so...scared when they said it. It was as if they had all been told what to say. And the _looks _they gave me. Like they wanted to say more but couldn't. Something just felt so _wrong _about the whole thing, Merlin."

Merlin sighed. "You may be right about that, Nicholas."

And he was almost certain of it now. He had been unsure of himself up until this point. But no longer. He _knew_ that he wasn't just imagining things. Something was definitely going on. And Merlin fully intended to find out what that was.

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**A/N: Feedback would be much appreciated for this chapter! Reviews always make me smile. Until next time! :)**


	12. Discovery

**A/N: Another chapter completed! Thank you all so much for all of the follows/favorites/reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**

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After all that had occurred on that first day of Merlin's sneaking around the castle, the next few that followed were relatively quiet and uneventful.

The young warlock continued to follow Arthur around, waiting outside of the council chambers when the King was in a meeting, or else watching from one of the castle windows whenever the royal ventured outdoors.

The reality was, however, that it was impossible for Merlin to keep his eye on Arthur at all times when he himself had to remain hidden. Whenever Arthur walked into a room, Merlin was unable to follow. He had to settle for waiting impatiently in the hallway for the King to reemerge. The result was that Merlin was feeling pretty useless in his usual role as Arthur's protector.

And so, as the days passed, the warlock found himself focusing more and more on his second goal: finding out what was going on with the visitors. After that first day, Nicholas had offered to continue helping Merlin.

But Merlin had refused.

"It's too dangerous, Nicholas," he had told him several times. He still couldn't get the image of Ella out of his head. And then Anna, whom Merlin hadn't seen any sign of since he had tried to follow her.

That had been four days ago. And Merlin couldn't help but to feel worried at her sudden disappearance. He had seen Lady Amelia walking around the castle many times over the past few days. But her maidservant had not been with her. It was really starting to make Merlin nervous.

Merlin walked into the kitchens on that fourth morning and immediately headed over to where Abigail was working on stirring something in a large pot.

"Good morning, Merlin," the woman greeted without looking up.

"Good morning," Merlin answered, automatically scanning the rest of the room as he spoke.

"If you were planning to ask me, once again, if anything strange has been happening around here, then the answer is, once again, no," Abigail said as she continued to stir the contents of her pot.

Merlin sighed. "I'm sorry to bother you so much."

Abigail shrugged. "I don't mind. Although I must admit that I _am _a bit curious as to why you keep asking these questions."

Merlin shrugged, trying his best to look innocent. "Just wondering."

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "Just...try to stay out of trouble, Merlin."

"Right," Merlin replied, immediately averting his gaze from Abigail. Then, "Where's Nicholas? I thought he'd be at work by now."

"He should be," Abigail replied, glancing around the room. "It's not like him to be late."

Merlin frowned. That was strange. He thought back to yesterday afternoon, the last time he had seen the boy. Nicholas had not seemed unwell. Everything about him had seemed perfectly normal, in fact. So why wasn't he at work this morning?

"He's another one who ought to be asking fewer questions," Abigail continued.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked quickly, suddenly feeling nervous.

"It's like he's conducting an investigation of some sort. Whenever a Berradon servant walks into the kitchen, he somehow manages to corner them. Says he's just trying to be friendly," Abigail shook her head. "I swear I don't understand that boy half the time."

Merlin visibly paled at this news. This could be bad. This could be very, _very _bad. He had _told _Nicholas that he no longer needed his help. It was far too risky. And if _Abigail _had noticed that Nicholas seemed to be questioning all of the Berradon servants...

Then who _else_ had?

The thought terrified Merlin and he hurried from the kitchens, leaving a very confused Abigail staring after him as he went.

Merlin headed straight for the servants' quarters. Maybe Nicholas _was _just feeling ill today. _That's_ why he wasn't at work.

Merlin's heart was pounding as he raced through the corridors, trying to convince himself that everything was fine. That he was just being paranoid. That there was _nothing _wrong.

_He's fine. He's just sick. He's probably just in bed right now."_

Merlin hardly cared who saw him at the moment. At one point on his way to the servants' quarters, he passed a couple of younger knights heading in the opposite direction. Thankfully, neither of them seemed to give Merlin a second glance, but Merlin knew that if it had been Gwaine, or Percival, or Leon...

He'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Merlin was nearing his destination, only a couple of corridors away, when he felt it.

His magic began to hum inside of him, pulsing through his body, putting all of his senses on high alert. Looking around, Merlin found that he was drawn to a particular passageway on his left. Something wasn't right.

He moved slowly down the empty hallway, holding his breath as the pounding of his magic against the inside of his head increased with every step. The world seemed unnaturally silent as he strained his ears in the hopes of hearing _something._ He eventually stopped next to a door near the middle of the corridor, which was where his magic seemed to be pulling him.

He raised a hand to the wood of the door, and a strange sensation immediately flooded his body. It was a feeling that Merlin could only describe as _urgent._ And without another moment's hesitation, he threw the door open.

The first thing Merlin registered when he walked into the tiny storage room was _blood._ A _lot_ of blood. Then the panic began to set in as he took in the two figures who were sitting on the floor.

"Nicholas?" Merlin said, sinking to his knees, his eyes immediately falling to the young boy's bloodied hands.

The boy was staring back at Merlin with huge eyes. "Please, you have to help her," he whispered, turning his head back towards his companion.

Merlin turned his attention to the young girl sitting next to Nicholas.

"Anna?" he said quietly.

The girl refused to look up, her gaze focusing on her arms, which were almost entirely red.

"You need to get to Gaius. Both of you," Merlin said, his tone suddenly serious.

Anna just shook her head, still not looking up at Merlin. It was Nicholas who finally spoke.

"She won't go. I've been trying to get her to go see Gaius, but she won't. She's scared."

"Are _you _hurt?" Merlin demanded of Nicholas, looking back to the boy's hands.

Nicholas shook his head. "No, it's...all her blood," he said quietly, holding up his hands as he spoke. "I was just trying to help."

Merlin sighed and moved closer to the young girl. "Anna?" he asked again. "May I see?"

Anna shrunk back against the wall and shook her head.

"I just want to help you," Merlin continued, holding his hand out. "I can take you to the physician's chambers-"

Anna shook her head again.

"Please let Merlin help you," Nicholas finally spoke up. "He lives with the court physician. He'll be able to tend to your wounds."

Anna finally looked up, and Merlin saw that there was a large gash on her cheek.

"No one can know about this," she finally spoke. "If they..." she trailed off.

Merlin knew that now was not the time to push the girl to continue. Because right now, he needed to tend to her wounds, the majority of which seemed to be currently hidden underneath all the red on her arms.

"I can help you, but I'll need to take you back to the physician's chambers."

Anna looked away towards Nicholas, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Gaius is usually off on his rounds this time of day," Merlin continued hurriedly. He didn't want to waste any more time. "It would just be us. No one else would have to know."

Anna seemed to consider this for a moment. She dropped her head as she took a moment to think about her options. Merlin held his breath as he waited. His magic was still unsettled, still pounding in his ears and in his chest. If Anna refused his help...

Finally, the girl raised her head and nodded. And Merlin let out his breath.

He would take the girl back to Gaius' chambers and treat her wounds. With any luck, none of them would be too serious and the blood loss wouldn't be too severe, he told himself.

And then, hopefully, _someone_, either Anna or Nicholas, would be willing to tell Merlin what had happened.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! All feedback is welcome! Until next time! :)**


	13. Injuries

**A/N: Hi everyone! So I finally have another chapter written for this story! And it only took...yeah, way too long. Sorry about that. But this past month has been very..._busy_...to say the least. School has been demanding nearly all of my time, and finding a few moments to write has proven to be more difficult than I had anticipated, what with so many tests to study for and chemistry lab reports to write. **

**I've actually been working on this chapter for days, scribbling frantically in my notebook when I had a few minutes in between classes. Or during my two-hour break when I could no longer stand to look at my anatomy notes. And I finally, _finally_ managed to finish it up tonight. I really wish it could have been longer, but at this point? I'm just glad I'm getting something out. Enjoy!**

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Merlin considered it to be something of a small miracle that he, Anna, and Nicholas managed to reach the physician's chambers without running into anyone. Because no doubt there would have been questions asked as to why there was a young girl and boy covered in blood. Not to mention the inquiries as to what Merlin was doing with them. And, depending on who was asking the questions, what he was doing in Camelot in the first place. The whole thing could have resulted in one huge mess.

Of course, when Merlin then went to actually open the door to the physician's chambers, only to discover that Gaius really _was _out on his rounds, he was unable to help the sense of wariness that immediately washed over him. Things had gone far too smoothly up until this point. Something was just _bound _to go wrong.

But he couldn't think about that now. Ushering Anna and Nicholas into the room, Merlin quickly shifted into "physician mode", as Gaius so often did, and led Anna over to the table, where the young girl sat down on the bench without a word and stared determinedly at the ground.

Merlin took less than a minute to gather the supplies that he needed to treat Anna's wounds. He dumped the armful of salves and bandages he was carrying on the table and then grabbed a bucket of water and some cloths so that he could begin to wipe away the blood.

Nicholas hovered awkwardly in the background, twisting his bloodied hands together nervously as he watched Merlin work. His eyes darted around the room, looking for a way to help. He hated feeling useless.

"Nicholas?" Merlin said finally, after several long moments had passed.

Nicholas' eyes immediately snapped up to meet Merlin's.

"You should wash yourself up," Merlin stated, nodding towards the boy's hands.

Nicholas' gaze dropped to his red palms and he nodded. "Right."

"There's soap and some more water over in the corner there," Merlin continued, pointing in the general direction of where the supplies could be found.

Nicholas, grateful to have something to do, nodded and walked over to the corner that Merlin had indicated, and proceeded to wash his hands with the soap and water that he found there.

Meanwhile, as the redness on Anna's arms was gradually washed away, Merlin was finally able to get a better look at the girl's wounds. There were several long cuts littered across both of Anna's arms, and Merlin found that he couldn't help but to stare down at them for a few seconds, as his mind worked furiously.

Finally, he looked up to try and meet the girl's eyes. But Anna was still refusing to look anywhere but at the floor. Suppressing a small sigh, Merlin went to work, examining the cuts and then rubbing some of Gaius' salve into each of them. Merlin knew that it must sting terribly. But Anna didn't even flinch as Merlin administered the treatment.

Fortunately, Merlin soon realized, none of the cuts were very deep, and a wave of relief washed over him at this small bit of good news.

But then the feeling disappeared almost as soon as it had come to be replaced with that overwhelming sense of danger that had been plaguing Merlin's mind for days now. It served as a reminder that although Anna was okay this time, she was by no means safe.

_"None of us are,"_ Merlin thought to himself.

"Will she be okay?" Nicholas' voice cut through the silence at last. He had finished washing his hands and was now making his way back across the room to stand beside Anna.

"Yes," Merlin replied, reaching for the bandages. "She was very lucky. The damage isn't nearly as bad as it could have been."

"_Not nearly_ _as bad as I thought it would be,"_ he amended his statement silently to himself.

"Oh good," Nicholas breathed out, the relief clear in his voice.

Merlin looked back to Anna then, who had still not uttered a single word since Merlin had discovered her and Nicholas in that storage room. He finally allowed a small sigh to escape him as he leaned back to get a better look at the young girl before him.

"Anna?" he asked gently.

Anna still did not look up. But she did manage to turn her head slightly in Merlin's direction, a movement which Merlin considered to be a small victory.

"Who did this to you?" he asked at last.

Not surprisingly, there was no response.

"Anna," Merlin tried again. "I want to help you. But I'm going to need you to tell me what happened."

There was a brief pause before Anna finally shook her head.

Frustrated, Merlin turned to Nicholas. "Do you know what happened?" he asked hopefully.

But Nicholas just shook his head. "No. I was just walking down the corridor when she came out from another passageway, already covered in blood. I tried to get her to go to the physician's chambers right away, but she refused. Then when we heard footsteps coming down the corridor, she panicked and so we hid in the storage room. We were only there for a minute or so before you found us."

Merlin nodded before turning back to the young girl once more. "No one is going to hurt you, Anna. I'll make sure of that. But I need to know who did this."

Anna began to wring her hands together nervously in her lap. "I can't," she whispered.

"Why not?" Merlin asked, his voice gentle and soothing. "Were you threatened?"

Anna closed her eyes as she absently began clenching and unclenching the fingers of her right hand into a fist.

"I should go," she said, once again speaking in a whisper.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Anna, who suddenly sounded nervous.

"Somebody's coming," she said quietly, immediately jumping to her feet.

Merlin strained his ears to listen and sure enough, there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps on the stairs outside the room.

Nicholas frowned. "Who is it? I don't hear anything."

"Nobody can know about this," Anna said, her voice taking on a somewhat determined quality.

"It's probably just Gaius," Merlin said, standing up and moving quickly across the chamber towards his bedroom, motioning for Anna and Nicholas to follow him. "If it is, I should be able to get rid of him easily enough. We'll stay in my room until we know for sure."

With that, Anna and Nicholas hurried after Merlin, and no sooner had the three of them piled through the door to Merlin's room and closed it behind them with a snap, than the door to the chambers burst open, and someone entered.

Merlin put an eye to one of the cracks in the door to see who had entered the chambers. To his surprise, it wasn't Gaius.

It was Gwaine.

"Gaius?" Gwaine called out to the room, even though he could plainly see that it was empty. The knight glanced around the room for a few seconds before cursing under his breath and turning to leave.

But not before noticing the bloody rags still sitting on the bench at the table. Merlin silently cursed himself for not even thinking to get rid of them.

Gwaine frowned. "What-?"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence, for there were more footsteps and then Percival hurried into the room.

"He's not here?" Percival asked, slightly out of breath.

"No," Gwaine answered. "He's probably down in the lower town. We need to find him quickly."

Percival nodded. "When I left, it didn't look good. There's little chance of him making it."

"And Arthur?"

Merlin's stomach dropped at those words, his heart beginning to pound faster in his chest.

"He insists that he's fine, although I noticed that he winces anytime he moves his arm too much," Percival answered.

Gwaine nodded as they headed for the door. "Let's just work on finding Gaius, shall we?"

Merlin saw Percival nodding his head in agreement, and then they were gone, not even bothering to close the door behind them as they hurried away.

Merlin felt sick. _Now _what had happened? Someone was hurt. Badly hurt. And Arthur had somehow been involved. Without thinking, he wrenched the door to his room open and rushed down the short flight of steps into the main chamber.

Merlin was halfway across the room before he suddenly stopped and turned back around. Anna and Nicholas were standing in the doorway of his bedroom, staring at him nervously.

"I have to go," he told them hurriedly. "Just...stay here. Both of you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nicholas nodded at Merlin's instructions, but Anna remained completely still.

Merlin sighed and turned away again. And then he was running out of the room.

It was only when Merlin reached the bottom of the first staircase that he realized that he had no idea where he was supposed to go.

"Alright, Prat," he mumbled under his breath, trying to ease some of the fear that had settled in his chest. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? Your comments and reviews are always appreciated. I love reading them so much! Unfortunately, I really can't make any promises as to when the next chapter will be out, but as always, I will update as soon as I am able. Until next time! :) **


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